


Little Brother is Watching

by Rubyleaf



Category: DAYS (Anime & Manga)
Genre: BUT THERE IS NO DETAIL it's outrageous, Based on a fact from the character factbook, Corruption of a preteen, Here Be Silliness, Kimishita needs a vacation, M/M, Ooshiba is just Ooshiba, according to that Kimishita has a little brother, and also useful matchmakers so he's forgiven, embarrassing tsundere boys in denial, featuring the "Everyone Can See It" trope, lots of matchmaking, perceptive younger siblings, please don't let Kazama near your twelve-year-olds he'll turn them into perverts, so here I am filling in that detail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-10-23 12:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 88,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10719774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyleaf/pseuds/Rubyleaf
Summary: Kimishita discovers he's not an only child, a twelve-year-old discovers the teen life, and Ooshiba discovers he may or may not have a crush. That's not to say he'd ever act on it, but teammates and younger siblings can be persistent as hell.





	1. How We Ended Up Here

For as long as he could remember, Kimishita had never had any problems with being an only child.

It wasn’t that he hated the idea of having siblings, specifically. But he had never wanted any either. For all his life his only family had been his father, and he’d never minded in the slightest; sometimes when he was younger people had asked him if he was lonely, but he had never felt that way. The fewer people he had around him the better. And from what he heard from his teammates with larger families, siblings were mostly good for arguing, anyway.

Kimishita was an only child, and he was happy about it. That was a fact. And it wasn’t like it would change anytime soon.

Or so he thought.

\---

The day started like any other. Kimishita woke up early in the morning, five minutes before his alarm would have sounded, turned it off, got out of bed, opened the curtains, headed to the bathroom to splash his face and brush his teeth and attempt to tame his hair, got dressed, ate breakfast with his father, left for school, yelled at three different people at morning practice, went to class, ate lunch, went to more classes, almost punched Kiichi in the face at afternoon practice, and returned home. And now he was sitting at his family’s store, doing his homework and waiting for any lost customers to venture their way in. Business as usual.

Kimishita twirled his pencil in his hand, pondering the math problem he was currently trying to solve. He was good at math, it was one of his best subjects, but this problem was a trick question; he had to proceed with caution, or he’d fall right into the trap. Now, if he didn’t go for the seemingly obvious solution and instead...

Frowning and muttering to himself, he reached for the pack of strawberry bubblegum lying next to him on the desk, pulling out a strip, unwrapping it and chewing down. Ah, his homework must have been getting tougher lately. He was almost out of gum again.

As he sat there and pondered the task, munching away on his bubblegum, light footsteps approached the store entrance outside, pausing at the door, hurrying away, then coming back again. They paced to and fro a few times, as if hesitating to go in, and then stopped.

Kimishita didn’t hear a thing. He was so engrossed in his studies that he didn’t notice at all.

The door swooshed open. A small pair of feet hurried and stumbled inside.

Kimishita didn’t notice.

A soft, childlike voice took a deep breath, shakily steadying itself before the footsteps hurried across the store, coming to a halt right before Kimishita’s desk.

“E-Excuse me!”

Kimishita looked up.

Standing in front of him was a young boy, not much older than his early teens, small and skinny, dressed in a school uniform worn more properly than any boy his age should. Wide green eyes met his gaze from underneath a head of dark fluffy hair, green eyes still softened by a pair of oval glasses sitting on his nose, threatening to slip off. The boy blushed when their gazes met, fumbled nervously and swallowed.

“Are you...” His voice came out shaky, and he hurriedly adjusted his glasses as he tried to speak again. “Are you Kimishita Atsushi-san?”

Kimishita frowned. How did this child know his name? And why the honorific? “Yes,” he said warily, “that’s my name. You want anything?”

The boy’s eyes went round and shiny, and he didn’t know what to do with his hands again. Panicking, he adjusted his already impeccable tie, tugged at his sleeves, pushed up his glasses again and bowed so low they almost fell back off.

“My name is Ninomiya Kakeru, twelve years old!” he declared, shaky but determined and much too loud. “I’m your little brother! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Silence.

Kimishita stared at the boy. The boy remained in his low bow, unmoving. Somewhere outside the door a cricket started chirping.

Kimishita opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to protest, but the only thing that left his lips was, “Wha–?!”

The boy peered at him from below, still bowed down.

This was awkward.

“Straighten up,” Kimishita muttered hectically, his voice still lacking its usual sharpness. The boy shot up like a jack-in-the-box. Kimishita sighed and rubbed his temples, already sensing the incoming headache.

Honestly, he didn’t know how he should react. Should he get angry? This was most likely some kind of stupid prank, and he had almost fallen for it. He should kick out this stupid brat and not think about it anymore. But... this kid looked serious. He didn’t seem like the type to play pranks like that on random strangers. And how did he know his name, anyway? He wasn’t from the neighborhood, Kimishita could tell that much. He didn’t even recognize the school uniform.

“Hey,” he growled, narrowing his eyes, “brat. If this is some sort of joke I’m giving you five seconds to fess up and leave.”

The boy jolted and paled, but he didn’t back away. “I-I-I-I swear it isn’t a prank!” he stuttered, looking panicked and almost hurt. “Please let me explain! I swear I’m telling the truth!”

Kimishita continued to glare at him with suspicion. “Five... four...”

The boy’s expression changed. He looked visibly hurt now, tears welling up in his eyes. Kimishita groaned internally. _Fantastic, now I’m about to have a crying brat right here in the middle of my store. Just what I need._

Sighing impatiently, he stood up, pushing aside his notebooks and pencil. “So?” he snapped. “I’m waiting!”

The boy blinked. “F-For what?”

“The explanation, stupid!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Tell me now or go home, I don’t have all day!”

The kid’s eyes went round. Sniffling, he hurriedly wiped his eyes and nodded. “Yes! Of course! Most certainly!”

Kimishita resisted the urge to grab the boy and shake him. “So?” he asked slowly, drawing out the question in the most menacing way possible.

“Right! The explanation...” The boy adjusted his glasses for what felt like the millionth time, taking a breath to steady himself. “I’m your half-brother,” he explained then, his voice sounding calmer than before. “On your mother’s side.”

Kimishita paused. His mother. A person he didn’t remember at all. The only things he knew about her were the picture his father was keeping and the fact that she had left when he was still an infant.

If she were to have remarried, have another son... it would make a frightening amount of sense.

“I always thought I was an only child,” the boy– no, Ninomiya continued. “But some time ago I found an old picture, a picture that was too old to be of me. I asked our mother about it, and she told me about you.” His eyes lit up with a spark of excitement. “When I found out I had a brother, I simply had to meet you! So I asked Mom about your name and where you lived and came here after school. I really wanted to see you for myself!” He was virtually sparkling now, the last traces of fear gone. “I have an older brother! That’s so cool!”

_And I think I have a headache._ Kimishita pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no idea what to think. Ninomiya’s story made sense in most parts. In other parts, not so much. Had his mother really just casually told the kid after keeping his existence a secret for twelve years? And told him his name and address to boot? Why did she even still know where he lived when neither he nor his father had heard of her in years?

“Hold on,” he said exhaustedly, and Ninomiya paused. “Our mother just told you all that? After hiding it all your life?”

The kid avoided his eyes. “U-Um...”

Kimishita glared at him, eyes darkening. “You sure you didn’t just do your own research after finding that photo?”

“I...”

“Do your parents know you’re here?”

“W-Well, that’s...”

“So they don’t.” Kimishita clicked his tongue. Marvelous. Babysitting duty was the last thing he could use right now. “You just ran off on your own after school and came here on the off chance that I still live here and really am your brother and not some creep.” He stepped around the desk, marched up to Ninomiya and grabbed him by the tie, yanking him up. “Are you an idiot?”

Ninomiya shrank back for a moment, intimidated. It only lasted for a second. Then his eyes went round with understanding, and his fear faded to leave nothing but stubbornness behind. “No!” he burst out, looking right into Kimishita’s eyes. “I’m grateful for your concern, but there’s really no need to worry about me! I know what I’m doing!”

Kimishita abruptly let go of his collar, feeling caught. “Ah? What are you talking about?” he growled, putting on his scariest scowl and hoping he wouldn’t blush. “Who are you calling worried, you stupid brat!”

“I’m sorry for assuming!” Ninomiya bowed lightly, green eyes resting on Kimishita. “If I’m mistaken, please forgive me! It’s just...” He straightened up again, his expression irritatingly gentle. “You seem like a very kind person, so...”

Kimishita gaped at him in open shock. Kind? Who was? He? What in the world had deluded this goddamn kid into thinking that?

“What part of me says ‘kind’ to you, huh?” he growled, looming over the boy. “Say that again and I’ll kill you!”

Ninomiya jolted and swallowed. Kimishita took a step back. Damn, now he’d done it. He had no idea how to deal with kids, and now he’d probably frightened him. Was he stupid? He couldn’t just threaten to kill a twelve-year-old!

“A-Actually,” he grumbled, dropping his head in shame, “that’s–”

“I-It’s okay, big brother!”

Kimishita blinked.

“I won’t call you kind anymore if it annoys you. But...” Ninomiya looked up again, eyes sparkling with something Kimishita didn’t quite understand. Was that excitement? Admiration? “But from what I’ve seen, I think you’re a very nice person!”

Kimishita pushed up his glasses, clicked his tongue and said nothing. There was nothing he could respond to that. This boy was clearly delusional– either that or he was just a complete idiot, Kimishita couldn’t tell. All he knew was that Ninomiya Kakeru had to be the strangest kid he’d ever met. No sane person would call him kind or nice. And no sane person would go up to a tall, intimidating stranger and start calling him “big brother” barely five minutes into knowing each other, blood relations be damned. This made zero sense. It was completely absurd.

“Fine,” he sighed at last, teeth gritted with impatience. “First of all... Ninomiya.”

The boy straightened, although he looked a little saddened at the use of his last name. Kimishita didn’t care. Related or not, this boy was just a runaway brat and definitely not his little brother.

“Let’s get you home before your parents report you as missing.” Kimishita groaned inwardly. He was wasting so much time with this. “Where do you live?”

“Huh? Ah, not that far!” Ninomiya gestured in the direction he had come from. “Just a few stations away–”

At least something. “Pops!” Kimishita called into the house, hoping his father was within hearing range. “Pops, mind the store! Something came up!”

There was a moment’s silence, then a “Roger, son!” sounded from the back of the building, and Kimishita nodded. Slipping on his jacket, he motioned for Ninomiya to follow him and hurried them both out of the house. The less time he wasted on this whole nonsense, the better.

Twenty minutes later he safely dropped off Ninomiya at a corner near his house, careful not to be seen by his parents, just in case they really were half-brothers. Truth be told, Kimishita couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to. He had always been an only child. There was no way he could just start taking responsibility for some self-proclaimed younger sibling out of the blue! He was busy enough already, damn it!

“If this is far enough, fine,” he grumbled, taking a look around and hoping he wouldn’t get lost. Narrowing his eyes, he poked a finger against Ninomiya’s forehead. “Now go get your ass home, do you understand? No more detours or adventures!”

“Of course!” The kid smiled, completely ignoring Kimishita’s death glare. “Don’t worry, big brother!”

“How many times must I tell you I’m not worried, you little...!”

“I’m sorry... You just looked worried to me! Because, well, you know...” There they were again, those stupid sparkling eyes. “I know you don’t like to hear it, but I still think you’re very kind, big brother!”

Kimishita resisted the urge to tear out his hair. _What was wrong with him?_  “Don’t call me that!” he snapped. “I’m not your brother!”

“Of course you are! There’s no mistake–”

“Just because we’re related by blood doesn’t mean you can call me your older brother!” Kimishita was seriously starting to lose his patience. He knew he shouldn’t yell at a kid like that, but he didn’t care anymore. “Listen up, you ignorant brat! You’re a stranger to me! Don’t even think I’m going to treat some delusional kid as family! This is the last time I’m doing something for you, _do you understand?_ I’m busy enough already!”

Ninomiya stared at him with wide eyes, the sparkle in them disappearing. His expression darkened as he hung his head, biting his lip and holding back the tears gathering in his eyes.

“I... see,” he mumbled quietly. “I’m sorry. I overstepped my boundaries... I won’t do it again.” He turned away. “Thank you for accompanying me here. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

Kimishita gazed down at him, guilt twisting his heartstrings. What had he done? Now he had gone and hurt this boy for real. Was he an idiot? This guy was a child, and he had never meant any harm!

“Wait,” he said awkwardly, “Ninomiya.”

The boy stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“If... if you need any sports equipment, feel free to stop by the store.” Kimishita didn’t look at him, his voice low with shame. “I’m almost always there in the evening.”

Ninomiya turned around. His eyes lit up again. “Can I?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Did I stutter?”

“I can?” Ninomiya’s eyes sparkled uncontrollably, and Kimishita wondered if he might have made a mistake. “Really?”

“ _Go home!_ ”

“Thank you!” Ninomiya beamed, grabbed one of Kimishita’s hands and squeezed it. “I definitely will, big brother!”

“Quit calling me that! Go home!”

Still sparkly-eyed, Ninomiya turned around and hurried down the street. Kimishita gazed after him with a shake of his head. This weird, way-too-polite, emotional child was supposed to be his little brother? He’d never accept that as a fact. An acquaintance, fine. Friend, perhaps, if he tried not to be too annoying. But family?

Not in a million years.

\---

“I’m home!”

Ninomiya Kakeru almost danced into the house, still smiling from ear to ear. He didn’t know if he had ever felt this happy coming home since middle school started. There weren’t too many okay days now, let alone good ones. But today had definitely been a great one.

“You look happy,” his mother remarked, stepping out of the living room. “Did something good happen?”

Kakeru thought back to the high school boy he had met today, harsh and short-tempered but kind, unwilling as he was to admit it. Tall and intimidating and mature and everything Kakeru wanted to be when he grew up.

“It’s nothing.”

Still smiling, he bounced up the stairs, floated into his room, flung his bag into the corner and flopped down on his bed, beaming at the ceiling. Gathering all his courage to come looking for him today had definitely been worth it. He was glad he had seen this through. Even if Kimishita Atsushi refused to accept him as a little brother, he was happy to have met him.

Closing his eyes, he pictured his face in his mind, the sharp adult-like features, the green eyes behind intellectual-looking blue-framed glasses, the scowl that would send bullies running in no time, the bold colors and patterns of his clothes, clashing and unapologetic. Tough, strong and unyielding. But still kind at the same time. Even if he refused to show it.

Kakeru opened his eyes again and stretched, eyes sparkling. Truly a role model.

“He’s so cool...”

\---

Ooshiba had no reason for heading towards Kimishita’s place today. He definitely didn’t. It was just to look, maybe to search through the displays and buy a new pair of cleats or something else he might discover. If anything his only reason for going was that he was bored, really. Not because he wanted to see anyone or anything. Especially not Kimishita. How weird would that be?

He was so bored and definitely not thinking about Kimishita that he almost knocked into a small figure upon turning a corner.

“Excuse me!” the figure blurted out. Ooshiba took a step back. The figure standing in front of him really was tiny, even tinier than Tsukamoto; he was younger too, about late elementary or early middle school age, small and skinny and dressed in a properly-worn school uniform and glasses like some nerd. And right now he looked at least a little freaked out.

“Sorry,” Ooshiba said casually, more to try and awkwardly calm the poor kid down than anything. “You okay?”

“Ye-Ye-Yes, I’m fine, everything all right, thank you!” The kid adjusted his glasses and hurried to fall into stride as Ooshiba started walking again, heading into the same direction. “I wasn’t looking, sorry, I was distracted... I was just thinking about my older brother, you know? I’m about to visit him!”

Ooshiba looked down at the boy, a little taken aback. “Your brother...?”

Apparently that was all the encouragement the kid needed. He nodded vigorously, his eyes glittering and sparkling with excitement and admiration. “Yes! He lives nearby!” he explained, smiling from ear to ear. “He’s still in high school but he already has a job, I’m about to visit him at work! He’s so mature and responsible! And smart too, he’s the best in his grade and he’s also tough and great at sports and he’s so kind! He helps everyone, even strangers! And his shirts are so cool, he always wears these bold patterns and never cares about people staring! When I grow up I want to be just like him!”

_Sounds like Kimishita,_ Ooshiba thought. And had no idea why he thought that. There were many guys who fit that description, so why on earth had his mind instantly strayed to his douchebag of a teammate? Although, in his defense, the description did seem to fit Kimishita like a glove. In high school but working, best in his grade, athletic, tough but kind... even the shirts. It took all Ooshiba had not to pull a face. He didn’t know there was another pain in the ass like that living nearby. One was enough, honestly.

“Ah!” The boy jumped and blushed, visibly realizing the absurdity of the situation. “I just told a complete stranger... I’m sorry! But, but...” He shook his head. “I couldn’t help it! He’s just so cool, I had to share the feeling!”

Ooshiba looked down at the boy in mild confusion. Was that mystery brother really that cool, or was this kid just very easily impressed? One way or another, if he humored him and acted nice then maybe this boy would also talk about him with sparkling eyes.

“It’s okay, kid,” he said with a grandfatherly pat on the boy’s shoulder. “Adults are just cool. You’ll see when you grow up.”

The boy looked at him with wide eyes. “Do you mean that I’ll be cool too when I’m older?”

“Definitely.” Ooshiba nodded vigorously. “Trust me, I’m an adult.”

The boy’s eyes lit up, bright and shiny with hope. “You’re an amazing adult!” he exclaimed. “I hope you’re right!”

Ooshiba gave him a smug smile, inhaling the compliments like he ran on them and basking in the attention. “’Course I am. What’s your name, kid?”

“I-It’s Ninomiya Kakeru!” The boy seemed to be growing more amazed with every second, and Ooshiba loved it. “Twelve years old, first year of middle school! Nice to meet you!”

“And I’m Ooshiba Kiichi.” Ooshiba still smiled that smug smile that would already have earned him a punch in the face if Kimishita had been around. “But since you’re a good kid, you can just call me Kiichi.”

“O-Okay... Kiichi-san?” Kakeru ventured, beaming when Ooshiba grinned back. “You really are nice... I always thought high schoolers didn’t like elementary or middle schoolers! But both you and my brother are really nice, so maybe I was just prejudiced... You are a high schooler, aren’t you?”

“Yup. Second year.”

“Just like my brother! You’re the same age!” Kakeru exclaimed, just barely short of squeeing. “You two should meet, I’m sure you’d become great friends!”

Ooshiba’s smile faded as he thought back to the description of Kakeru’s big brother. “I’m not sure... Your bro sounds a lot like a teammate of mine.”

The boy blinked at him in confusion. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Not with _that guy!_ ” Ooshiba burst out, anger boiling up in his body at the mere thought of Kimishita. “That guy’s a stuck-up asshole! I’m the ace and the most important player on the team, and what does he say to me? ‘Kiichi, stop skipping practice! Kiichi, your aim is shit! Kiichi, work on your technique! Kiichi, use your head! Kiichi, do this! Kiichi, do that! Kiichi, you never do anything right!’” He gave a furious huff. “Stuck-up asshole! What the hell is his problem?”

Kakeru looked at him for a long moment, the look in his green eyes shifting from disappointment to surprise to understanding. “Kiichi-san...” he said finally. “Do you like your teammate?”

Ooshiba walked face-first into a street sign.

“What the...?” he burst out, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t like him! He’s a jerk! I hate his guts!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! It’s just, this is only a notion but...” Kakeru gazed into the distance, frowning thoughtfully. “You sound like you want him to acknowledge you and be nicer to him, so...”

_So that’s what he meant._ Ooshiba gave a sigh of relief without understanding why. “Sure I want him to be nicer to me,” he admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “But that doesn’t mean I like him. Maybe I would if he wasn’t such a jerk.”

“Oh, I see!” Was it just Ooshiba’s imagination, or did Kakeru only sound _almost_ convinced?

Well, it didn’t matter. Dropping the topic of Kimishita, he moved the conversation back towards Kakeru’s big brother, a subject the boy was more than grateful to talk about. Apparently the kid had only started visiting his brother at work a little over a week ago, and this was only his fourth visit here. Made one wonder why he’d never done that before. Maybe the brother had only started his part-time job recently.

And still they continued going in the same direction.

Ooshiba listened to the kid chatter on when at last Kimishita’s place came into sight, and he was just about to tell Kakeru to go on without him when the boy picked up his speed, sprinting straight towards the store entrance. “There it is!”

No way. He had to mean the store next to it, right?

But he didn’t. He ran straight into the familiar sports equipment store. Ooshiba followed in a daze. What was happening? Had Kimishita’s place suddenly found a new employee? Where did they even get the money?

He stumbled inside after Kakeru and found himself face to face with Kimishita. Kakeru hurried on to the desk with a smile. “Sorry for the disruption, big brother! I hope you don’t mind me visiting again, but I’ve made a friend on the way here! Look!” He turned around to motion towards Ooshiba. “Big brother, this is Kiichi-san! Kiichi-san, this is my brother!”

Ooshiba looked back and forth between the boy and Kimishita. And the only thing that left his mouth was,

“ _You’re kidding._ ”


	2. Denial for Dummies

Between him and Kiichi, Kimishita honestly couldn’t tell who looked more stumped at the moment.

Kiichi gaped at them both in open shock. His jaw had dropped, and if it hadn’t been attached to his head it would probably have hit the ground. His eyes were roughly the size of pancakes. Blinking incredulously, he pointed a finger at them both, looking back and forth between them in a failed attempt to make sense of the whole situation.

Kimishita stared right back, torn between blunt surprise and the urge to slam his forehead against the desk. What the hell was going on? Since when had his self-proclaimed brother become friends with Ooshiba Kiichi of all people? And had he seriously just brought the godforsaken idiot here to _introduce them to each other?_

This had to be a bad joke.

Kimishita suppressed the urge to groan. This was ridiculous. Individually these two clingy morons were annoying enough. What stupid, completely sadistic twist of fate had made them meet and befriend each other and show up to be a pain in Kimishita’s ass together?

“Kiichi.” Clicking his tongue, he got up from his chair, slamming his hands down on the desk as he gave his teammate a murderous glare. “What are you doing here?”

Kiichi blinked, snapping out of his daze as his shock turned to annoyance. “What’s with that tone?” he burst out. “I’m a customer, you dick! Got a problem with that?”

“Customer, my ass! Like you ever show up here to buy something! All you ever do is get on my nerves!”

“Say what? I’m gracing you with my presence! Be grateful, asshat!”

“I’m grateful for every second I spend away from you!”

“You wanna fight?”

“Try me!” Storming around the desk, Kimishita rushed up towards Kiichi, ready to punch him in the face and kick him out. Kiichi met him halfway and grabbed him by the collar. Kimishita’s fight instincts kicked in. His left hand automatically reached for Kiichi’s shirt. His right one was raised in the air, ready to throw a punch or block one.

But Kiichi didn’t try to hit him. He just yanked him closer, looking ready to shake him with one hand while furiously pointing at Ninomiya with the other. “Asshole!” he yelled, knocking their heads together. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?”

Kimishita blinked, taken aback for a moment. Then annoyance flared, annoyance at this stupid man-child taking everything personally and getting all up in his business. “Ah? Where the hell did that come from?” he growled, narrowing his eyes and baring his fangs like an angered cheetah. “Since when are you entitled to know about my family background, huh?”

“Shut up, jerk-face! I’m your teammate!” Kiichi stopped pointing at Ninomiya to hover a fist above Kimishita’s head, unsure if he should punch him or not. “I have a right to know! I always thought you were an only child, you jerk!”

“So did I, you idiot!”

Kiichi blinked with surprise. His grip on Kimishita’s collar relaxed the tiniest bit. “...Huh?”

“I said–” Kimishita clicked his tongue– “I thought I was an only child too! I first met him a literal week ago! Which you would know if you could just _let me finish._ ”

“Then why didn’t you tell m–”

“ _It’s none of your business!_ ” Kimishita tore himself free, storming back to his desk to demonstratively sit down. “This brat is not my brother. He’s a stranger who somehow started calling himself my brother because he thinks we’re related by blood.”

Ninomiya opened his mouth and closed it again, looking a little helpless but not at all surprised. Not by this statement, at least. Otherwise his face was a study of confusion.

“Wait a moment,” he stammered, “please hold on... You two know each other?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Unfortunately.”

Kiichi glared at him for that, but thankfully he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut for once. “We’re teammates,” he said instead. “Soccer.”

“Oh!” Ninomiya’s eyes went round with the realization, round and suspiciously excited and shiny. “So, Kiichi-san, when you talked about your teammate who you said my brother sounded like... you actually were talking about my brother?”

Kiichi still looked a little confused by the whole situation. “Uh... Looks like it.” Looking back and forth between Kimishita and Ninomiya, he frowned skeptically, his expression growing more and more questioning by the second.

Kimishita scowled at him. “What’s puzzling your lone brain cell, idiot?”

“See? That’s what I mean!” Kiichi huffed accusingly. “How’re _you_ related to a nice kid like him?”

“Well, your sister is polite, mature and intelligent!” Kimishita shot back. “How are you related to her? Siblings aren’t always identical, idiot!”

Kiichi flushed, pouted and grumbled something that suspiciously sounded like a string of insults, stomping off towards one of the shelves and pretending to have taken a newfound interest in hockey sticks. Kimishita sent an exasperated glare after him, still annoyed but grateful for the silence, even if it probably wouldn’t last long. Ninomiya looked back and forth between them, visibly uncomfortable.

Honestly, Kimishita couldn’t see how this situation could possibly get any more awkward.

“Kiichi,” he growled, trying to resume his homework. “How much longer are you planning to keep staring at the shelf?”

Kiichi didn’t look at him. “I’m a customer. I got a right to stare at shelves.”

“If you’re a customer, buy something and leave!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Or do you want me to start raising staring fees?”

Kiichi flipped him off and stomped over to the next shelf to stare stupidly at kids’ equipment. Ninomiya still remained standing by the desk as if he was waiting to be picked up from the lost and found.

“Um, uh...” He adjusted his glasses, completely unnecessarily. “Big brother, Kiichi-san... are you always like this?”

“Yes,” Kimishita said.

“No,” Kiichi said at the exact same time.

Kimishita glared at him. “The hell does that mean, huh?”

“Nothing!” Kiichi picked up a sports magazine and held it upside down, blushing. “I just meant that sometimes you’re even worse.”

“That’s my line, idiot!”

“Who are you calling idiot, idiot?”

“The idiot who’s not even intelligent enough to come up with a different insult by himself, you dumbass! Go home, you’re a bad influence on Ninomiya!”

Kiichi spun around on the spot. “I’m a what?”

“A bad! Influence!” Kimishita yelled, pointedly articulating every syllable. “If you’re here to buy something, buy something and get out! If you’re just looking, leave! Don’t need your stupidity rubbing off on impressionable twelve-year-olds!”

Kiichi looked seriously annoyed now. “You don’t even call Kakeru your brother, jerk-face! You call your own bro by his last name, why do you even care?”

“He’s not my brother! But I need a second idiot in here like I need a hole in the head! You’re already one too many!” Kimishita clicked his tongue, demonstratively picking up a textbook and holding it in front of his face. “You’re wasting my time. Get out!”

Kiichi stared at him for a moment, furious and offended and almost hurt, his hands gripping the magazine until his knuckles were white and the pages were crumpled. Then he slammed it down on the ground, spinning on his heels and storming out through the door. “Fine! I got it! Your customer service is shit!” He turned over his shoulder to flip him the bird. “Do what you want, asshole!”

And off he was. Kimishita stared after him in annoyance. “Stupid drama queen.”

His gaze left Kiichi’s retreating back, coming to rest on the magazine he had smacked down and left on the floor. A furious scowl spread over his face. “That brat,” he growled, cracking his knuckles. “I’ll teach him to treat other people’s hard work badly!”

He got up, but Ninomiya was faster, hurrying to pick up the magazine before Kimishita had the chance. “It’s okay, big brother! Don’t be angry! I’ll take care of it...” He looked at the wrinkled pages, his face falling. “Oh, it does look bad...”

Kimishita snapped his pencil in half. “I’ll make him pay...” he hissed through gritted teeth, trembling with rage. “That bastard...!”

“It’s fine! I’ll buy it! Don’t be angry at him, big brother!”

Kimishita paused. His anger cooled down to surprise. “What the–”

“You couldn’t have sold this for the full price anymore, could you? I’ll buy it, big brother!” Ninomiya reached into his backpack, digging for his wallet. “For the full price!”

Kimishita looked at Ninomiya, then at the magazine and back at Ninomiya. He still didn’t understand the first thing. “What do you want with a beat-up baseball magazine?”

“Read it! And do you a favor, big brother!” Ninomiya’s eyes started sparkling again. “You would have done the same, wouldn’t you?”

Kimishita scowled, feeling strangely exposed again. “You’ve got the wrong idea of me, kid.”

“I do not!” Ninomiya burst out, and Kimishita blinked at the sudden display of stubbornness. “Stop deprecating yourself, big brother! You’re a very cool, wonderful, kind person so stop telling me otherwise!”

Kimishita sighed. This kid was strange. Kimishita had known that since day one, of course, but Ninomiya Kakeru just kept getting stranger. First it had just been showing up on his doorstep, calling him “big brother” and calling him a nice person against all evidence. Now it almost felt like the kid was putting him on a pedestal. That was never a good thing.

“Fine,” he grumbled reluctantly, reaching out for the magazine in Ninomiya’s hands. “You planning to pay for that or not?”

“O-Of course!” Ninomiya searched through his wallet for the right coins, accidentally took out a large bill, put it back again, and knocked another one to the ground, followed by a series of coins. Giving a distressed wail, he knelt down on the ground, trying to pick up his bills and coins without dropping any more from his wallet. “A-Ah, I’m sorry...”

Kimishita watched him struggle in vain for a while, then he clicked his tongue, got up from his chair, walked over to Ninomiya and picked up the coins in no time. Shifting forward, he reached for the bills... and paused in surprise. Those bills... they were large, and there were several lying around. All together it was more money than Kimishita got in two months of allowance.

His eyes shifted to Ninomiya. Just how much money did this kid have?

_Ditched us for money, huh, Mom._ He narrowed his eyes at the thought, the bills crumpling in his clenched fists. _I hope the cash was worth it._

Without saying a word, he handed everything back to Ninomiya, who thanked him over and over and apologized profusely. Kimishita waved it off. “Just buy the stupid magazine and we’re even.”

Ninomiya nodded and held out a fistful of coins, the total amounting to the exact price of the magazine. Kimishita gave an acknowledging nod. If only more customers were this considerate; having to give everyone change could get troublesome as hell.

A considerate, kind kid. Kimishita had to admit Ninomiya Kakeru wasn’t so bad.

Which didn’t mean he saw him as a brother.

“All right,” Ninomiya said with a smile as he stuffed the poor magazine into his bag. “Now that this has been resolved...” His smile faded, his eyes going round and concerned and almost pleading. “You have no more reason to be angry at Kiichi-san, right, big brother?”

Kimishita dropped his pencil. “Wha–?!”

“Please don’t be angry!” Ninomiya’s eyes went serious, determined and definitely pleading. “No damage has been done, so please forgive Kiichi-san! You’ll make up again, won’t you?”

Kimishita stared at him in confusion. He knew this guy was delusional and hopelessly optimistic, but when had he become so attached to _Kiichi_ of all people? Those two had only met on the way here, so why did he care so much?

“Why do you care so much about that idiot?” he growled, and Ninomiya shrank back. “Stay away from him. He’s a bad influence.”

“You think so?” Ninomiya replied, looking unconvinced. “Why?”

“Because he’s a fucking idiot.”

Silence.

Kimishita froze as the gears in his brain started turning. Had he just used a curse-word? In front of a kid? Who idolized him and called him his big brother, no less?

“Oh _fu–_ ” he burst out, catching himself at the last second. “I mean– shi– I-I mean, dam– no... I... sh– ah, what a pain in the a– _neck!_ ” His voice gradually fell down to an embarrassed grumble. “Sorry, I meant he’s a–”

“I-It’s fine, big brother!” Ninomiya stuttered, looking almost as embarrassed as Kimishita was. “You can curse if you want... It’s not like I haven’t heard bad words before, you know? I’m not a child anymore!”

“That’s not the point, stupid! If you call me your big brother, I have to act like a role model!” Kimishita poked a finger against Ninomiya’s forehead. “A role model can’t curse in front of a kid!”

Ninomiya blinked, then he looked up at him with bright sparkling eyes. “You really are a role model, big brother!”

“And you really are hopeless,” Kimishita grumbled. “You think all people are good people, do you? Even idiots like Kiichi.”

“...not really.” Ninomiya’s gaze clouded over for a moment, then his face brightened up again. “But Kiichi-san really does seem like a good person!”

“What gave you the idea?”

“He likes you!”

Kimishita froze. “What the–”

“I heard him talk about you earlier,” Ninomiya went on, apparently oblivious to Kimishita’s flabbergasted state or choosing to ignore it for the moment. “He sounded angry, but he also seemed like he really wanted to be acknowledged by you, big brother!”

Kimishita relaxed the tiniest bit. _Oh,_ that _kind of like._

...Wait, why had he even thought of the _other_ like first?

“That guy wants recognition from everyone,” he deadpanned, brushing off the thought. “Of course he does. Doesn’t mean he likes me.”

For some reason that thought was almost a little... saddening. Kimishita didn’t understand why. Why did he seem to mind how Kiichi felt about him? He didn’t like the idiot. He tolerated him for the time being, and perhaps he did care a little about his well-being as a teammate and one of Seiseki’s three arrows, but it wasn’t like he wanted to be... _special_ to Kiichi or anything.

Ninomiya seemed a little disappointed too, but he bounced back in a second. “No, he definitely likes you!” he insisted, clenching his fists for emphasis. “Didn’t you see how he acts around you? I’m sure he wants you to praise him!”

Kimishita wondered if he should tell the kid that his perfectly innocent statement could also be read another way but quickly decided against it. Even without that strange connotation his remark was embarrassing enough. Kiichi, liking him? Wanting his praise? Well, Kimishita could definitely imagine the latter; there was no way Kiichi could stand someone just outright refusing to flatter him and calling him out on every mistake the way Kimishita did. But he still couldn’t imagine that it meant anything more than a wounded ego. Kiichi was vain and proud, and Kimishita was everything an idiot like him should hate for hurting his pride.

_But then why did he come to the store today, I wonder?_

Kimishita pushed out the thought and locked the doors. He wouldn’t think about that. Kiichi was full of idiosyncrasies; he had probably just been bored and decided to annoy Kimishita a little. Or maybe he had just been walking into the general direction of the store when Ninomiya had bumped into him, befriended him and brought him here.

“I won’t praise him just to flatter his ego,” Kimishita declared, sharply narrowing his eyes. “That moron has enough of it as things are. He needs someone to call him out on his bull– his nonsense or he’ll never move forward.”

Ninomiya gave him that strangely knowing look, and Kimishita realized he had made a mistake.

“So you do care about him!” the boy burst out, beaming all over his face. “I knew it, big brother!”

“Only as a member of our soccer team! As a person I couldn’t care less!”

“That’s a beginning, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a beginning. It’s all there ever will be!”

“But you–”

“Enough!” Kimishita clicked his tongue, feeling a blush slowly creeping all over his face. “I don’t care about that stupid giant and I never will. And you should better stay away from him before you catch his stupidity.”

\---

Ooshiba rushed wordlessly into the house, kicked his shoes into a corner, stormed through the house and up the staircase and burst into his room, slamming the door behind him. That stupid Kimishita. What the hell was that guy’s problem? First he had refused to tell him he apparently had a little brother, then he had called him a bad influence and straight-up kicked him out? That was no way to treat him! He was the team’s ace! That stupid Kimishita would be nothing without him!

What had been with Kimishita not telling him about Kakeru, anyway? They were teammates! They had known each other since middle school, of course Ooshiba had a right to know about some parts of Kimishita’s personal life! Out of everyone on the team he had known him the longest, hadn’t he? Didn’t he also have a right to know him best?

He slammed a furious fist into the pillow, a handful of feathers flying up in response. Asshole. Stupid, stuck-up asshole. He had no right to kick him out of the store just for looking! Fine, so maybe Ooshiba hadn’t really been looking, just pretending to look while he... what had he been doing? He wasn’t entirely sure. It didn’t matter. What business was it of Kimishita’s to tell him what to do? Shouldn’t he be grateful for Ooshiba’s presence? He knew a huge number of people who would have loved to trade with him!

Except... Kimishita had always been like that. Ever since middle school all he had done was criticize Ooshiba, yell at him and complain about his flawless shots and try to make him live up to some impossible standards that no human being could match. He had always been blind to everything Ooshiba was good at, instead zoning in on all the perceived or actual flaws he might have and using them to nag him relentlessly. That guy really needed new glasses. Or maybe he was just jealous. Yeah, that had to be it.

For some reason the thought didn’t make him feel any better. Why should Kimishita be jealous? That jerk had a horrible personality, but he had to be the most amazing midfielder Ooshiba knew. No, who was he kidding, one of the best players he knew. Maybe even the best. Why should that bastard be jealous? He was amazing! Was he deprecating himself again? Ooshiba should give him a talking-to sometime. With a skill level like his, how did Kimishita have the guts to be anything but proud?

Kakeru’s voice rang out in his head, loud and clear and irritating. _Do you like your teammate, Kiichi-san?_

Ooshiba flopped backwards on the bed. As if! What part of him looked like he liked Kimishita? He hated that jerk! He couldn’t stand him!

But... he respected him... and as a player he trusted him. But that didn’t mean he liked him. Maybe if Kimishita changed his entire personality and started acting more like Kakeru, then perhaps–

He shook his head. That would be terrifying. And gross. No, Kimishita had to be like this, or he wouldn’t be Kimishita.

Kimishita was a stuck-up prick, a jerk and a short-tempered bastard. It had to be that way. There was no other Kimishita Ooshiba would accept; any other kind of Kimishita would be nothing but a cheap knockoff. Which didn’t mean he liked the current one. It just meant he disliked him less than the possible alternatives.

That was all, really.

\---

Kakeru paced his room, over and over again, mumbling and frowning to himself. It was late in the evening, and he should already be in bed, but he couldn’t sleep yet. There was something on his mind that was still keeping him awake.

Kiichi-san liked his big brother. And his big brother liked Kiichi-san. So why wouldn’t they both just admit it and be friends? What was more, why wouldn’t they believe him when he said the other liked them too? It had to be obvious to anyone who saw the way they acted around each other. They obviously liked each other, why weren’t they getting along?

Truth be told, he wanted them to be friends. He wanted his big brother to be happy. And he wanted Kiichi-san to be happy too, happy and not desperate and awkward in his clumsy pursuit of his big brother’s attention. Were they both dense? Were they in denial? And if they were, then how could he help them both see the truth?

Kakeru sighed quietly, stopping at the window to gaze into the sleeping garden outside. “I wish I could help them somehow...”


	3. Woodland Spirit

Kakeru slipped out of the classroom and hurried across the campus, lunch box in hand, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. If he was careful enough nobody would notice him slipping off to a secluded spot. He was starting to get better at this, after all.

Sneaking around corners and hurrying down hallways, he made his way out into the courtyard, hurrying past the remaining people until he finally found himself all alone, nobody in sight. Kakeru relaxed and slowed down his step. He was safe here; no one would see him, and no one would find him and approach him and try to talk to him in this hidden spot. The only people who’d show up here would be too focused on their own thing to spare him more than a passing glance.

With a sigh of relief he sat down under a tree, gazing out onto the still-empty soccer pitch. He loved this spot; it was quiet and shady, and he could eat in peace while watching a handful of second-years kick a ball around on the pitch before getting yelled at by a teacher for breaking into the place without permission. Kakeru wondered if they were members of the soccer club. They sure seemed determined to play here every lunch break, despite already having morning and afternoon practice. Did they love the game that much? Or were they just that dead-set on getting better that they used every free minute to practice? Their plays looked pretty professional to him. Not that he knew much about soccer.

Soccer practice... His thoughts strayed back to his brother and Kiichi-san. He wondered if they had people like that on the team too, people who’d sneak onto the pitch without permission just because they wanted to play. He wondered if they had, at some point, done the same thing. He wondered how good they were compared to these guys. Probably leagues better. They were three years older after all, and from all he had heard Seiseki High School was a soccer powerhouse.

He wanted to see them practice. He wanted to see them play, the whole team, see how the others in the soccer club acted around his big brother, if they admired him too. And he wanted to see how his brother and Kiichi-san worked together on the field. More of their interactions, more of them playing together as a team. Perhaps he might even find an idea to help them become friends.

Of course. That might be it!

If he went to Seiseki and observed them there, he might get some clues on how to go about their friendship. And as an added bonus he would finally get to see his big brother in action, playing the sport he had dedicated his life and passion to. It was a win-win situation.

He should definitely ask his brother about it when he visited him later.

\---

“You want what?”

Kimishita blinked at the boy standing in front of him in surprise, more than a little put off by the excited expression and the puppy-dog eyes fixed on his own, pleading. “The hell do you want to watch me at practice for?”

“I’m curious!” Kimishita could have sworn he saw sparkles all around Ninomiya as the boy leaned forward with shiny eyes. “I’ve never seen you play and I bet you’re amazing! And so is your team, isn’t it?”

Kimishita scowled, pictures of Mizuki’s sound effect language, Tsukamoto’s failed attempts at scoring, and Kiichi skipping practice popping up in his head. “The only thing they’re amazing at is giving me headaches.”

Ninomiya’s face dropped a little. The sparkles disappeared, but the enthusiasm didn’t. “They can’t be that bad!”

“They’re not bad. They’re just stupid.” Kimishita clicked his tongue at the thought. “Gets tiring to have to think for all of them.”

“Well, not everyone can be as smart as you...”

“It’s not that they’re less smart, they’re downright stupid,” Kimishita said, ignoring the shiny-eyed compliment. “And if they’re not stupid, they’re annoying in some other way. They’re not that great.”

Ninomiya gave him a pensive look. “You say that,” he said slowly, “but you actually like your team, don’t you?”

Kimishita blushed bright red. _Busted again._  “I don’t! It’s your imagination!”

“Are you embarrassed to admit it?”

“They are embarrassing! If anything I’m embarrassed to be seen with them!” Not really true, Kimishita knew that. He was proud to be a member of the Seiseki soccer team. But he was the last person to deny that they were also a very embarrassing bunch, full of stupid ideas and idiosyncrasies and acting like a bunch of fifth-graders more often than not. He supposed he liked them well enough, but most of the time he really wished they could stop being so... _them_.

“Either way they’re a bad influence,” he continued before Ninomiya could say anything else. “Most of them are about as stupid as Kiichi is, and others are creeps.” He thought of the first-years and their obsession with everything girl-related, and then he thought of Usui who just seemed to magically _know_ everything that was going on in people’s heads, especially the things they wanted to hide. There were different kinds of creepy on the team, and he couldn’t tell which one would be a worse influence on Ninomiya.

“Creeps?” Ninomiya asked incredulously. “Are they really that bad, big brother?”

“Worse.” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “You’re too young to get influenced by people like them, understood? Watch a match if you want to see me play.”

“But...”

“No buts! You’re not coming to practice till you’re older!”

Ninomiya sighed and nodded. He looked a little dejected, but for some reason he didn’t seem quite as sad as Kimishita would have expected.

Well, this kid didn’t seem prone to prolonged negative emotions anyway. Lucky little brat.

\---

Kakeru slipped past the students walking off the school grounds, talking or reading or looking at their phones and not noticing him at all. His eyes scanned the surroundings for any familiar faces, ready to hide if he spotted any. Especially one.

He peered around the fence, constantly on the lookout for his big brother. There wasn’t a sign of him. Kakeru relaxed a little, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the school grounds.

So this was how the grounds of a high school looked like. Truth be told it didn’t seem that different from his own middle school. Just... bigger, somehow. Like another dimension that looked deceptively like his own, except for being the slightest hint larger than life.

Kakeru navigated his way through the crowd, taking advantage of his short stature to avoid being spotted. A few students gave him curious looks. He saw a pair of girls whispering to each other and pointing at him, and he thought he caught the words “someone’s little brother” and “cute.” Hoping they wouldn’t recognize him and tell his big brother, he kept moving.

The people meeting him became fewer and fewer, and Kakeru kept going until, at last, he was all alone. Pausing in his steps, he looked around. Where was he? And which way was the soccer pitch? Was there any way to get there without being spotted?

He looked around. Apparently he had made his way all across the schoolyard, and now he was standing in front of the now-closed cafeteria. Which way should he head from there? Right? Left? He could only see buildings on either side, without any indication to what was behind them. Should he head off in a random direction? Head back and ask someone? But what if his brother saw him? Should he–

“Are you lost?”

Kakeru spun around, startled by the sudden voice behind him. When had someone else appeared here? How long had he been standing there? Why hadn’t Kakeru noticed?

“Huh? What? I mean, ye-ye-ye-yes!” he stuttered out, startled and confused and frantically adjusting his glasses. “I mean... how long have you been here?”

The stranger frowned. He was about the same height as his big brother, Kakeru noted as he observed him, and probably around the same age too but visibly heavier in build; where his brother was lean and light this stranger was muscular, broad shoulders filling out the blazer of his school uniform. His black hair was trimmed into a short, practical cut, his brown eyes glinted with determination under stern eyebrows, and the tan of his skin spoke of summers spent out in the sun. He definitely looked impressive. Kakeru wondered on what sports team he was.

“Mhmmm...” The stranger’s expression turned thoughtful. “Not long. I just got here.”

 _Why did he have to think about that?_ Kakeru wondered, but chose not to ask about it.

The stranger stared at him for a good moment. “You don’t look like a student,” he said at last. “Are you lost?”

Kakeru smiled awkwardly. “Yes... I think you already asked me that.”

“Ah. I think you’re right.”

“Y-Yes, um...” Kakeru’s smile grew more awkward as he returned the strange high schooler’s gaze in confusion. “I’m looking for the soccer field! Do you know where that is?”

“Soccer?” The stranger’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Sure. Are you trying out for the team?”

Kakeru couldn’t even tell how serious this boy was. “I’m a middle schooler,” he said. “But,” he added as excitement sparkled up inside him, “my big brother is on the team!”

“So that’s why you look familiar.” Understanding dawned on the stranger’s face. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Ninomiya Kakeru!”

“Ninomiya...” The stranger tilted his head to the side, deep in thought. “Did we have someone named Ninomiya on the team...?”

Kakeru returned the puzzled look. On the team? Was this stranger a teammate of his brother’s?

“Um... no,” he said with a hurried apologetic gesture. “We’re half-brothers, actually... My big brother’s name is Kimishita Atsushi, do you know him?”

“Oh, Kimishita!” The stranger’s face lit up with recognition. “Yes, he’s my teammate. A very good midfielder. His passes are super good.” He gave a thumbs-up. “His yakisoba is super good too.”

Yakisoba? Kakeru hadn’t known about that one. So his brother could even cook? He really was amazing... Was there even anything he couldn’t do? Kakeru couldn’t think of a single thing. He just hoped that in a few years he’d be half as cool and talented and striking as his big brother was.

The stranger continued to look at him pensively, then he nodded. “You do look like him.”

Kakeru almost tripped over nothing. His face flushed red. “H-Huh?” he sputtered. “M-M-M-M-Me? No way... M-My brother looks so much cooler...”

“Mizuki... There you are!”

The stranger turned around as a young man appeared behind him, already dressed in a Seiseki jersey and soccer cleats. He was still a student, but Kakeru honestly couldn’t refer to him as a boy anymore; this person was clearly an adult, graceful, mature and refined, a friendly smile on his face, his gentle features framed by silky silver hair. “Everyone’s waiting for you,” he said to the first stranger. “What’s taking you so long? Did you get lost again?”

The first stranger –Mizuki?– simply stepped aside and pointed at Kakeru, nodding in his teammate’s direction. “Kimishita’s little brother.”

The teammate gave him a curious look and stepped closer, still smiling. “Ah, are you coming to visit your brother at– wait.” He blinked with surprise. “Kimishita has a brother?”

“A half-brother! My name is Ninomiya Kakeru,” Kakeru said for the second time today, bowing. “I’m twelve years old and a first-year in middle school. I didn’t discover I had a brother until very recently, but...” He fidgeted nervously. “When I found out he was playing soccer here, I...”

“You wanted to see him play,” the silver-haired stranger concluded. “Am I right?”

Kakeru nodded.

The stranger smiled, but there was a certain knowing edge to it that made Kakeru uneasy. “Shouldn’t you be at school right now?”

“N-No! My classes ended early,” Kakeru replied, and it was the truth. “And I don’t have any club activities... but, um...” He adjusted his glasses. “Please don’t tell my brother I’m here! He told me he didn’t want me coming to practice the other day...”

“And you still came here?”

“I...!”

“It’s all right,” the young man said just as Kakeru was about to start panicking. “We won’t tell him, will we, Mizuki?” Mizuki-san gave an affirming thumbs-up. “Alright then, let’s take you to the pitch.”

Mizuki-san nodded and started off in a random direction. “Let’s go.”

His companion quickly rested a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. “That way lies the gym, not the soccer field.”

“Ah.” Mizuki-san looked puzzled for a second, then he did a one-eighty and started walking in the opposite direction. “Let’s go.”

“Now you’re headed for the classrooms.” The companion gave a low chuckle. “The pitch is that way.”

Mizuki-san corrected himself again, and all three of them walked over the campus, now deserted except for the few places where students were still engaged in their club activities. “You’ll have to forgive him,” the stranger said, motioning towards Mizuki-san. “He doesn’t come to this part of the schoolyard often.”

“It’s okay,” Kakeru said quickly, although he still didn’t quite understand how someone could get lost on their own school grounds in their second or third year of high school. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Not at all.” The stranger smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ninomiya.”

“Please don’t burden yourself with the formalities... Just Kakeru is fine!”

“Kakeru, then.” The stranger’s smile widened, friendly and gentle as he turned around to greet him properly. “My name is Usui Yuuta. If you need anything, feel free to come to me!”

\---

At first Tsukushi thought he was only imagining the small figure standing above the pitch, half hidden behind a tree and peering over at them. It had to be a shadow, he thought, or perhaps he was growing tired; he only ever saw the figure from the corner of his eyes, and as soon as he tried to focus in on it it was gone. But apparently he wasn’t the only one, after all.

“Hey,” Kazama said awfully close to his ear, appearing from nowhere and making him jump. “Is it just me, or is there a kid standing up there?” He pointed in the direction of the figure over Tsukushi’s shoulder.

Tsukushi turned around. “You saw it too, Kazama-kun? That figure?”

“You too? Sweet, so it’s not just me!” Kazama grinned and lightly ruffled his hair. “Meaning it’s either a ghost or an actual kid watching us. Or a really small student.” Smirking with mischief, he turned to face Tsukushi, leaning even closer to him in a way that was always a telltale sign for one of his strange ideas. “Let’s go investigate!”

“Huh? What?”

“In the next break.” Kazama winked. “Let’s go ghost hunting.”

Tsukushi laughed nervously, not sure if he found the suggestion funny or mildly terrifying. “I don’t believe in ghosts, Kazama-kun...”

“But what if it is? Dude, that’d be awesome! We could meet a cursed spirit out for revenge!” Kazama pulled a scary face, then he started laughing. “Just kidding, ‘course it’s not a ghost! Could be a yokai though.”

Tsukushi laughed good-naturedly at the silly joke. “Okay,” he said. “I guess we really should talk to them... I mean, they might need our help, right?”

Kazama smiled brightly and was just about to reply when a well-aimed soccer ball hit the back of his head. “Kazama!” Kimishita yelled at him from the other side of the field. “What are you slacking off for? If you have time to distract the nimrod, go run some more laps, you ass!”

Pouting and rubbing the back of his head, Kazama went back to practice. Tsukushi followed him. A few steps ahead Ooshiba was gazing intently at the spot where the figure hid, an uncharacteristically thoughtful look on his face.

The next break arrived, and the figure was still there.

Kazama didn’t lose any time. Taking his water bottle in one hand and Tsukushi’s hand in the other, he pulled them both away from the group as soon as no one was looking, the two of them hurrying off the pitch and around it until they found the tree where the figure was hidden. Kazama approached it from one side, Tsukushi from the other.

“Excuse me!”

There was a yelp and the sound of feet stumbling, and a moment later Tsukushi almost crashed into a young boy, twelve or thirteen at most, dressed in an unfamiliar school uniform and looking very panicked. “I-I’m sorry!”

“Oh hey, it’s the ghost!” Kazama said cheerfully, coming to stand behind him and almost making the poor boy jump out of his skin. “No, wait. Yokai. What’s your name, yokai kid? Do you like soccer?”

The boy turned around, looking up at Kazama with wide eyes. “Yo...kai...?”

Kazama just grinned, and the child relaxed. “I’m not a yokai,” he replied earnestly. “My name is Kakeru. Ninomiya Kakeru... I’m watching my big brother play. W-Well, my half-brother... Kimishita Atsushi!”

There was a moment’s silence. Then Kazama and Tsukushi both said the exact same word at the exact same time.

“ _What?_ ”

Kazama was the first to recover. “Wait, Kimishita-kun has a little bro? Since when?”

“It’s... a very long story...”

“Well, you do kinda look like him! Like a mini Kimishita-kun. Except, y’know, nice and stuff.” Kazama grinned. “You guys weren’t raised together, were ya?”

“We weren’t... But my big brother is a very nice person too!” Kakeru clenched his fists in a stubborn gesture. “He doesn’t want to show it is all, but that’s part of what makes him cool!”

Kazama almost snorted at that, but Tsukushi stepped around to his side and spoke before he could accidentally hurt Kakeru’s feelings with a careless joke. “So you’re here to watch Kimishita-senpai play soccer today, Kakeru-kun?” he asked excitedly. “That’s great! But why are you hiding behind the trees? I mean, um...” He fumbled awkwardly. “Wouldn’t it... I mean, shouldn’t you be cheering him on from up close?”

Kakeru’s face fell. “He doesn’t want me to come here until I’m older,” he said. “So please don’t tell him! It’s just, I really wanted to see him play together with everyone!”

Tsukushi felt mild nervousness rising as Kakeru bowed to underline his plea. “P-Please don’t worry about it, Kakeru-kun! We won’t tell him!”

Kazama winked. “Yup, our lips are sealed.”

Kakeru breathed a sigh of relief as he straightened up again. “Thank you so much!”

“Hey, hey. Secrecy is my middle name. No need to thank me!” Kazama laughed. “So, whaddya think of big bro so far? Good player?”

“Yes!” Kakeru burst out, his eyes lighting up with excited sparkles. “I know nothing about soccer but his shots are so accurate! And his passes are amazing! And he’s so fast and skilled and _so cool!_ ” He beamed all over his face. “And he and Kiichi-san do make a wonderful team...”

Tsukushi and Kazama blinked and exchanged a surprised glance before turning back to the boy, baffled. “O-Ooshiba-senpai?” Tsukushi blurted out at the same time as Kazama asked, “Kiichiman?”

“Yes!” Kakeru was so excited he didn’t seem to notice their surprise at all. “They make such an amazing pair, don’t they? I just wish they admitted it! They so clearly like each other, I really want to help them become friends!”

The two high schoolers continued gaping at him in silence. Kakeru blinked a few times and blushed. “Ah, I’m sorry!” he blurted out. “I talked to much again, didn’t I? Sorry, I couldn’t help it...”

“N-No, no, it’s fine!” Tsukushi hurried to say as his brain still tried to process Kakeru’s words. It wasn’t that he was too surprised by the message. The fact that Kimishita and Ooshiba liked each other was an open secret on the team; they weren’t exactly being subtle about it, even though they liked to think otherwise. Everybody knew they cared about each other a great deal more than they wanted anyone to know; that wasn’t the surprising part here. The surprising part was that this child, who obviously hadn’t known either of them for long, had already figured it out enough to innocently blurt out what no one dared to say for fear of one of the pair overhearing.

Well, almost.

“Friends?” Kazama started laughing and clutching his sides. “Dude, you’re so innocent! I can’t believe you wanna see them together as _friends!_ ”

Kakeru tilted his head in curiosity and genuine puzzlement. “How else should they be together?”

Kazama almost fell over laughing. Tsukushi caught him just in time, sending Kakeru his most apologetic look. “Kazama-kun, please calm down, um...”

“Sorry, sorry. Thanks for the catch.” Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Kazama straightened up, although he didn’t pull back from Tsukushi’s hold. “Man, what a pure kid though... You wanna tell him or shall I?”

“Do we, um... Do we have to tell him?” Tsukushi threw a worried glance at Kakeru, who was still watching them with innocent curiosity. “I-Isn’t he a little young?”

Kazama laughed and pulled him into an affectionate hug. “Ever the mom friend, are we? He said he’s twelve, no need to worry! I couldn’t bring up adult content with you innocent little angel around anyway.” Tsukushi blushed and laughed at that remark. “Gonna keep it PG, okay?”

Tsukushi nodded. “O-Okay! Thank you, Kazama-kun!”

“Hey, no prob. So,” Kazama waited until Tsukushi had turned around to face Kakeru again and hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, “you think Kiichiman and Kimishita-kun wanna be friends, right?”

“Well, yes...” The boy adjusted his glasses, a slightly confused look on his face. “Is that... Am I mistaken?”

“Kinda. ‘Cause we think they like each other romantically.”

Kakeru blinked at him with his mouth gaping open. “Eh?”

“In more medical terms, they both got humongous crushes on each other.”

“W-Wait, hold on.” Kakeru’s hands were all over the place as his face got redder and redder. “A-Are you saying they’re in...” He trailed off. His entire body went beet-red as his voice fell down to a frantic whisper. “In l-l-l-l-love with each other?”

“Yup,” Kazama replied casually. “Y’know how it’s usually the guys and girls that fall for each other? Well, some guys fall in love with guys and some girls fall in love with girls. Which is kinda hot, actually.” Tsukushi blinked at him in shock while Kakeru blushed all over his body. “Oh, sorry. It slipped out. Anyway, there’s some people like that... Then there’s also some people who’re into girls and guys, like me, or don’t care about gender at all, like Tsukushi here. All totally normal.” Kakeru seemed to glow redder than a tomato by now, and Kazama frowned in slight concern. “Hey, you okay?”

“Ye-Yes! No! I don’t know!” Kakeru covered his face, then lowered his hands again, then brought them back up to fidget with his glasses. “I-It’s only, well, h-how do I explain... Y-You’re all so young! I-I-I thought only adults did that... f-fall in lo– in l-lov–”

“I-It’s okay! Please don’t panic, Kakeru-kun!” Tsukushi hurried over to the furiously blushing boy, fidgeting hectically without any real idea what to do. “It can come off as a bit of a shock, I know... Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it!”

“Well said!” Kazama piped in. “Although most kids your age already have crushes. There might even be someone in your class who’s got one on you!”

Kakeru shrieked and wailed something about being too young. Kazama laughed again. Tsukushi watched helplessly.

“C-Calm down, Kakeru-kun,” he stammered at last. “Love seems scary, but it’s a natural part of growing up, you know? Y-You’ll understand eventually, um... When you find someone! Someday you will find someone who makes your heart beat faster and your stomach flutter and your chest feel warm, and you’ll want to spend a lot of time with them and um...” He forgot what he wanted to say. “W-Wait, what was I...? I’m sorry!”

Kakeru looked at him with wide eyes. He was still blushing, but he didn’t look quite as panicked anymore. “P-Please... T-Tell...”

Tsukushi and Kazama paused. “Huh?”

“T-T-Tell me more please!” Kakeru bowed low, getting redder yet again. “About this feeling... I-It’s only because I want to know what’s going on between my brother and Kiichi-san! And, well...” He hung his head even lower. “Please don’t tell anyone else, but I’m... a little curious...”

\---

Still no sign of Kazama and Tsukamoto.

Ubukata paced the field from side to side, her frown slowly turning into a grim scowl. “Where are these two idiots?” she groaned, looking from side to side, peering into the locker rooms and the club room, checking every nook and cranny. “I leave my eyes off them for five seconds and they disappear into nowhere!” She turned to the team. “And why did none of you idiots see anything?”

“I saw something!” a voice declared, and everyone turned around. Kimishita scowled as he watched Kiichi storm over the pitch with a smug expression that meant nothing good. Smirking at the attention, the idiot reached out and pointed at the trees nearby with irritating confidence. “They went over there!”

Kimishita was more than half convinced it was a prank, but something about the look on Kiichi’s face told him that this was more than a simple joke, although he still couldn’t tell what it was. He didn’t care. If there was a chance to find those two runaway idiots and drag their useless asses back to practice before they delayed them all any longer, he’d do it on the spot.

“I’ll retrieve them,” he said and started off before anyone could say anything. Behind him he could hear Kiichi’s footsteps following. “Hey, idiot,” he snapped over his shoulder. “What are you tagging along for?”

Kiichi folded his arms. “I’m feeling generous so I’m gonna help you.”

“Feeling generous my ass! If you’re feeling that generous how about you _generously_ score a few goals for a change? Quit letting all my passes go to waste!”

“Your passes are shit!” Kiichi shot back. “Nobody could score with those, asshole!”

“Captain can!”

“’Captain can!’ You should hear yourself talking!” Kiichi huffed furiously, stomping his foot as he walked. “Sorry for forgetting your precious captain is sooooo great and soooo much better than me at everything!”

“My...?!” Kimishita blushed, with embarrassment or anger or both, he couldn’t tell. “If you understand he’s better then quit your bitching and practice, idiot!” he yelled, trying to cover up the strange feeling in his chest. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Stop acting like a jealous sibling every time I bring him up!”

“You wanna fight?”

“Come at me, bastard! I’ll kill you!”

Usui watched from a distance as they continued arguing, looking as if they were about to start punching each other in the face at any given second. Not that their endless quarreling was the main problem right now. He knew exactly where Kimishita was headed and who he was bound to see.

“We should probably stop them,” he remarked with a smile that didn’t hold the slightest bit of urgency. “Shouldn’t we?”

“Why?” Mizuki turned over to him with a surprised look on his face. “They’re just fighting again.”

 _Oh right, he forgot where we hid Kakeru._ Usui gave a gentle unsurprised sigh. Of course Mizuki wouldn’t remember; he probably thought Kimishita’s half-brother was hidden somewhere on the opposite side of the pitch.

“Well,” he remarked, starting to walk after the angry second-years, and lapsing into a jog, “I suppose I’ll go after them and do damage control. You look after the others till I’m back.” Mizuki gave him a thumbs-up.

Usui wasn’t in any particular hurry to catch up to the second-years though.

\---

Kimishita abruptly stopped talking when they reached the edge of the woody strip. The first thing he saw was Kazama’s incorrigible mop of blond hair. The next thing he saw was Tsukamoto standing next to him.

But they weren’t alone.

Standing in front of them, listening to them with wide eyes, was an awfully familiar figure.

Kiichi came to a stumbling halt next to him. A few steps behind Usui gave a soft laugh. Kimishita cracked his knuckles, his face distorting into a furious grimace.

“ _Ni-no-mi-ya-kuuuuun...!_ ”


	4. Just a Bunch of Adults

“ _Ni-no-mi-ya-kuuuuun!_ ”

Everyone fell silent. Kiichi looked back and forth between them in confusion. Kazama gave an amused grin. Tsukamoto looked petrified. Ninomiya turned around and gaped at Kimishita, all color drained from his face.

Kimishita took another menacing step forward. “What are you doing here, you brat?” he growled. “What did I tell you about not coming here till you’re older, huh? Were you listening?”

Ninomiya shrank back, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was waiting for a punch in the face. “I-I-I’m very sorry!” he stammered, his voice shaky as if he was about to cry. “Big brother, please don’t be angry... I know you didn’t want me to come here, b-but I... I really wanted to see you play and I...” His voice broke. The boy hung his head and bit his lip, visibly trying not to cry.

Kimishita hesitated. He was still angry at that stupid brat for defying his words and coming here despite his warnings, but... he didn’t want to make a kid cry. He wasn’t that heartless.

“Listen up,” he snapped, slightly calmer. “I forgive you this one time, but go home right now, got that? And don’t you ever come back here again till I tell you–”

A hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. Kimishita whipped around to give whoever had the nerve to touch him now a piece of his mind– only for all words to get stuck in his throat when he was met with Usui’s smiling face.

“Now, now,” the vice-captain said in his usual calm voice, but Kimishita didn’t miss the hard edge that tolerated no objections. “Since your little brother went through all the trouble of coming here, why don’t you let him stay a little longer? I don’t know why you didn’t want him to come, but there’s no harm in having him watch from the sidelines, is there?”

Kimishita gritted his teeth. That sweet, seemingly gentle smile gave him the chills. He already knew the fight was lost, and he had no choice but to concede. No one talked back to Usui Yuuta unless they had a death wish.

“...Yes,” he gritted out, lowering his head and relaxing as soon as Usui let go of his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Usui-senpai.”

Usui’s smile widened, and Kimishita half expected him to say “Good boy” or some other line you’d say to a disobedient dog who’d finally listened for once. Damn that guy. He really couldn’t handle him at all.

“Hey, Ninomiya,” he said, turning back to his self-proclaimed brother. “Did you hear that? You watch from the side of the field. Don’t let anybody talk to you except the coach and manager, understood?”

Ninomiya seemed confused, but he nodded.

“And Kazama!” Kimishita added, marching over to the unapologetic first-year. “What did you talk to him about, huh?”

Kazama smiled the best fake-innocent smile he could muster. “Oh, nothing much,” he said lightly. “Just a thing or five about love.”

Kimishita almost choked on air. If Kazama talked about love, that could only mean one thing. “ _You...!_ ” He clenched his fists, forcibly resisting the violent urge to grab the insolent bastard and strangle him on the spot. “You should be banned from talking to children, you disgusting wretch!”

“Ow, rude.” Kazama pouted. “And I didn’t even get to tell him about the good stuff.”

Kimishita grabbed him and yanked him in until their faces were inches apart, hissing through gritted teeth, “ _I fucking dare you._ ”

“P-Please don’t worry, Kimishita-senpai!”

Kimishita turned to glare down at Tsukamoto, who had stepped up to him with a worried face. “Ah?”

“I-I mean it! Kazama-kun didn’t say anything, um... dirty to Kakeru-kun! S-So...” Tsukamoto brought up his hands in a pacifying gesture that came off as more frantic than anything. “Please don’t worry too much... and, um... well...”

Well, Tsukamoto had to know. The brat didn’t look like he was lying. He’d been here the whole time, and if he said Kazama had behaved for once, it had to be true. Unless, of course, some things had flown directly over his head, but then it should be the same for Ninomiya too.

“...Fine,” Kimishita growled, letting go of Kazama’s shirt with an unwilling click of his tongue. “But if I ever catch you talking to him again, I’ll kill you!”

Kazama laughed and hid behind Tsukamoto. Kimishita spun around on his heel and started marching back towards the rest of the team, who were starting to watch the scene with growing curiosity. Usui fell into stride, the first-years and Kiichi followed. Ninomiya followed them to the side of the field and stopped at the line, looking unsure if he should continue.

“Hey, brat,” Kimishita said as he stopped in his tracks, turning. “What are you stopping for, huh? You’ll watch from over there!”

Ninomiya’s face lit up. Smiling, he hurried after the others, following them across the field and taking his place between the coach and manager.

\---

From a distance the Seiseki soccer team had looked amazing. But from up close there were no words to describe them.

Incredible. They were incredible. No, they were breathtaking, stunning. Kakeru had never seen a professional soccer match up close, but if he ever saw one it would have to look and feel like this. They looked like the pros on national television. They moved like the players Kakeru had only seen in videos and magazines, the living legends that everyone aspired to be like, larger-than-life silhouettes Kakeru had never even dared to dream of seeing up close. His eyes could barely keep up with all their lightning-fast plays and movements, their acrobatic leaps, their high-precision passes from distances that should make it impossible for any human being to hit the target. They were all incredible, amazing, pro level. But the most amazing one had to be his big brother.

Kakeru couldn’t stop staring at him, entranced, overwhelmed. He was so good, in every sense of the word. He was always running over the field, his feet flying over the grass, tirelessly, weightlessly. Every time the ball hit his feet he would sent it to his teammates in an elegant curve, without missing a beat, his aim never failing to hit its target. The wind pulled at his hair, tossing it into his face, then making it fly behind him like a dark flag, adding speed and grace to his motions, the same motions that were already so sharp and fluid and elegant that Kakeru couldn’t help holding his breath. His brother had always been cool, in every way or situation. But right now was different. Right now he was in his element. Right now... he was beautiful.

The whistle rang, and for a moment Kakeru couldn’t process what was happening. He kept gazing at the team in a daze until finally the gears in his head started turning again, and he blinked as if he was waking up from a long dream. He already missed the sight. They had been amazing to watch, so amazing, and he wished he had the words to tell them how incredible they were.

One by one they slowed down and started walking off the field, talking together or giving each other high fives or wiping sweat off their faces. The first voices reached Kakeru, but it took him a moment to realize they were talking about him.

“Hey, Kimishita!” a short boy with curly dark hair and an energetic grin shouted at his brother. “You said you’d tell us who this kid is later, right? This is later so spill!”

His brother looked none too happy, hesitant to either comply or talk back at the boy. “I...”

“No excuses!” a redhead with a bun called from the other direction. “A promise is a promise! Who is he and why does he look like a mini-you?”

Kazama-san hurried to the front and smiled brightly, motioning towards Kakeru. “Easy!” he said. “It’s because this guy is– _ow!_ ”

Rubbing the back of his head where he’d been hit, Kazama-san retreated to his initial position further at the back. “Sheesh, Kimishita-kun! Leave my head alone, you’ll give me a concussion!” He pouted. “What’s wrong? You could’ve just let me introduce him and–”

Surprised, Kakeru turned towards his big brother, who was back to wearing his trademark scowl. “No introducing anyone!” he shouted. “We don’t have time! I have to hurry home and so does he!”

“It’s still early though,” Usui-san remarked with a smile. “You can spare a few minutes to introduce us to your brother, can’t you, Kimishita?”

Silence.

All eyes rested on Kakeru, mouths agape with shock.

His big brother gave Usui-san a death glare that only earned him an innocent smile. “Senpai... You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Then everyone started talking at the same time.

Kakeru stumbled back as he found himself swarmed and crowded with questions from all sides, every single player on the team running up to him and trying to talk to him until his ears were ringing and his head was spinning and he had no idea what to say or who to reply to. His eyes rested on his brother in a silent plea for help. What should he do? How could he get out of this?

“Everyone, shut up!”

The team fell silent. Kakeru relaxed. A small grateful smile crossed his face as he met eyes with his brother, who scowled and stepped between him and the team with a click of his tongue. “Move away,” he growled. “Leave him alone! He’s too young for your influence.”

They all looked at each other, then at him, then back at each other. Then Kazama-san started laughing. “Man, you sure are one protective big brother, Kimishita-kun!”

“Wha–?! I don’t–”

That was as far as he got, because a moment later the entire team started agreeing and teasing him about what a good brother he was, and asking why he’d never told them. Usui-san gave a knowing smile. Mizuki-san gave big brother a thumbs-up, making him flush with embarrassment. Tsukushi-san seemed downright happy; Kazama-san was still laughing. Kiichi-san stayed on the sidelines, his expression unreadable.

“He’s a shit brother,” he said at last. “He calls this kid by his last name! The hell kinda bro does that?”

“Kiichi... I’ll teach you to swear in front of a kid again!”

“I bet you did that yourself! Hypocritical asshole!”

“You...! One more word and I’ll kill you!”

They stormed up to each other and were just ready to grab each other’s collars when the redheaded boy with the bun sighed and stepped between them.

“Hey, not to interrupt you two in your UST,” he said, “but would one of you guys mind telling us what’s going on?”

They jumped apart, scowling and blushing. Some of their teammates snickered. Kakeru looked back and forth between them in confusion. “Excuse me, but what does UST mean?”

“Easy!” Kazama-san proclaimed. “It means Unresolved Se–”

His big brother slapped a hand over his mouth before Kakeru could understand the rest.

\---

Kimishita still wasn’t happy about introducing Ninomiya to the team, but he supposed he had no choice. Not with peer pressure from the whole team, not with Ninomiya looking up at him with wide eyes, and definitely not with Usui freaking Yuuta standing there and smiling innocently and scaring him into playing along with this nonsense, to everyone’s entertainment. He wanted to go home. Now that he’d told these morons about Ninomiya he really wanted to get the hell out of here, scold that brat all the way from here to his house and hope he hadn’t caught their weirdness already. But now that these morons knew Ninomiya, there was no getting away.

Clicking his tongue with impatience, Kimishita watched as his teammates crowded around Ninomiya despite all his best efforts to ward them off. Ninomiya himself had seemed a little overwhelmed initially, but now his excitement had won; he was looking at them all with sparkling eyes, his small hands balled into energetic fists.

“No, you really are amazing!” he insisted. “I don’t know anything about soccer, but to me you all looked like professionals! It looked so dynamic, so beautiful, so, um, I... I have no words to describe it! But you’re all so skilled and talented and incredible and, and...”

Mizuki nodded and encouraged the stupid fanboy brat with a thumbs-up. “We’re a very _swoosh_ kind of team.”

Kimishita grimaced. The idiot captain’s sound effect language really was the last thing he needed right now.

Ninomiya frowned slightly, thinking. Then suddenly his face lit up, and his eyes started shining. “Yes, exactly!” he burst out. “That describes it perfectly! The feeling I felt when watching you all was exactly like _swoosh!_ ”

Kimishita gaped at him. What the...?! Did Ninomiya actually _understand_ that guy’s mumbo jumbo?

“But Kimishita’s not _swoosh,_ ” Mizuki continued, and Kimishita perked up, his heart skipping a beat in anticipation. “Kimishita’s soccer is more like _n-yoom._ ”

Why was he not surprised? Honestly, what had he even expected to make his heart skip a beat like that in the first place?

But Ninomiya seemed to hold no such concerns. “Yes, he’s very much _n-yoom!_ ” he agreed emphatically. “He’s so fast and dynamic and graceful and beautiful! I truly envy you for getting to play with him every day, Mizuki-san!”

Mizuki simply nodded, and Kimishita wasn’t sure if he should be sad he didn’t say anything else or relieved he didn’t deny the statement. Damn it, what was with him? He really needed to stop caring so much about what that idiot thought of him. Hadn’t he already told himself that a million times over?

“Hey, brat,” he said instead of reacting to Mizuki, “you understand this guy’s sound effects?”

Ninomiya nodded excitedly. “Yes! It’s... well, I couldn’t use them, but they transport a feeling, you see? When I hear them I simply understand what feeling they mean! It’s like a melody that makes you see pictures in your head... I think...”

Kimishita didn’t understand half of the kid’s babble, but this was still something. He hadn’t found anyone who could make sense of Mizuki’s sound effect bullshit before. Maybe this was a chance to finally understand at least some of his nonsensical instructions.

“What’s it mean then?” he asked. “That... _nyoom_ or whatever.”

“ _N-yoom,_ ” Mizuki corrected him.

Kimishita gave him a long-suffering scowl. “That’s the same thing!”

“Not really,” Ninomiya replied with a slightly apologetic look. “They sound similar, but they have different connotations. One is more... uh, um... faster from the get-go while the other... how do I explain...” He adjusted his glasses. “I’m sorry, it’s hard to translate! There’s no fitting word for it... I could try to transcribe it but then the connotations would be lost...”

Kimishita sighed. “Sorry I asked.”

“I’m very sorry! I wish I was better at translating, big brother...”

“Just forget it!”

Ninomiya still looked uncomfortable and very much like he wanted to change the subject. Mizuki wouldn’t be of any help here, and Kimishita was just starting to debate what he should bring up next when Kazama and Tsukamoto joined them. Kimishita wanted to snap at the first-years for approaching his brother again, but Usui quickly joined them, and after meeting the vice-captain’s gaze for half a second Kimishita ditched his worries about the child’s sanity and mumbled an excuse to get the hell out of there.

\---

Kakeru frowned as he watched his brother leave, hurrying off before someone could stop him. Why was he in such a hurry all of a sudden? It must have something to do with the look Usui-san had just given him. He didn’t seem to like the third-year student much; if he wasn’t way too cool for that, Kakeru would have thought his big brother was afraid of Usui-san. As it was, there had to be some other reason. Maybe they simply didn’t get along.

His brother didn’t stay alone for long. Kiichi-san hurried after him, making him spin around with a glare and an angry click of the tongue. “What do you want?”

“What do _you_ want?” Kiichi-san shot back. “Don’t go off by yourself looking all shady! What are you up to?”

“Nothing! I just need a breather from all the idiocy!”

Kiichi-san huffed. “I’m going with you. I’m tired of those idiots too.”

Big brother’s face distorted into a grimace of fury and disbelief. “Ah?” he growled. “Says the main source of idiocy on this team, you moron!”

“Who you calling a moron, you moron! I’m the most smartest guy on the team!”

“Say that again when you’ve learned proper grammar, idiot! Leave me alone!”

“Who cares about grammar! As long as you understand me, it’s fine!” Kiichi-san crossed his arms and pouted. “That’s more than you can say about your stupid Captain!”

It was subtle, but Kakeru didn’t miss the way his brother flinched and threw a glance over his shoulder to make sure Mizuki-san wasn’t listening. “You... How many times must I tell you he’s not _my_ Captain!” He clicked his tongue, the faintest blush touching his cheeks. “Stop bringing him up all the time! What do you have against him?”

“I–” Kiichi-san started to say, then his brain caught up and he blushed, cutting himself off. Clenching his fists, he spun around with a stomp of his foot, ready to storm off. “He always gets all the attention!” he yelled over his shoulder. “How’s that any fair, huh?”

And with that he rushed off before anyone could say anything to stop him. Kakeru gazed after him, then he turned back to his brother to watch his reaction. A reaction that was equal parts furious and baffled, although in the end anger had the upper hand and he clicked his tongue and started walking away when Mizuki-san approached him with his usual serious expression. “Kimishita, let’s go help the first-years.”

He pointed to the field, where the first-years minus Kazama-san and Tsukushi-san were busy picking up the soccer balls left from practice.

“Ah? Why should we help the brats?”

Mizuki-san gave a thumbs-up. “Team bonding.”

The only answer he got was an irritated tongue-click, and Kakeru half expected his brother to send the captain away like he had sent Kiichi-san off, but to his surprise he didn’t. Grumbling something about unnecessary activities and spoiling the first-years, he trudged onto the field after Mizuki-san.

Puzzle pieces came together in Kakeru’s mind, starting to form a picture. The things that Kazama-san had told him earlier... Kiichi-san’s behavior... the way his big brother acted around both him and Mizuki-san...

This was bad.

“Kiichi-san likes my brother,” he said slowly, just to reaffirm the words to himself. “But my brother likes Mizuki-san... Am I wrong?” _Please say I am._

The others didn’t deny it. Tsukushi-san nodded gravely. Usui-san gave him an acknowledging nod. Kazama-san laughed awkwardly. “You’re a bright one, Kakeru.”

Panic welled up inside Kakeru’s chest. “This is bad!” he whispered frantically. “Mizuki-san doesn’t seem interested in him... What do we do?”

“Easy.” Kazama-san didn’t seem the least bit fazed. “We make Kimishita-kun realize Kiichiman’s the one for him, help them both out of their swamp of denial and get them to start dating. Everyone happy, problem solved.” He grinned. “In adult language that’s called matchmaking, Kakeru.”

Kakeru looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Match...making...?”

“Yes,” Usui-san said. “It’s when people help their friends get together because they have feelings for each other but won’t act on them or because they’d make a good couple.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice as his smile turned devious. “If we move carefully, we might make them both very happy.”

_So mature and adult-like._ Kakeru’s eyes lit up with admiration. Usui-san was really amazing, so smart and level-headed and mysterious that Kakeru couldn’t help but stand in awe. “Do you have a plan already, Usui-san?”

“W-Well, um...”

Kakeru turned to Tsukushi-san, who fidgeted and fumbled nervously. “I, um... This is only an idea, but um...” He looked down at the ground, blushing with embarrassment. “How about we get them to s-spend more time together alone? It’s only a start, but...”

“It’s a great start, Tsukushi!” Kazama-san wrapped an arm around his shoulders and affectionately pulled him closer. “Fun fact, I was just gonna suggest the same thing.”

And the conspiracy began.

\---

“Your brother.”

Kimishita paused halfway through reaching for the next ball, turning over his shoulder to look at Mizuki. “What’s with him?”

Mizuki kicked up a ball and caught it in his arms. “He’s a very _jingle-ing_ type of person.”

Kimishita blinked at him for a very long time, fighting off a headache.

“...Have I been around you too long, or why did that just make sense?”


	5. Badly Influenced

“I think you should forget about him.”

Kimishita didn’t look up from the novel he was reading, although he did pause when Ninomiya spoke, reaching for his water bottle. “About who?”

“About Mizuki-san,” Ninomiya said in a concerned tone. “I don’t think he returns your feelings, big brother.”

Kimishita spat out his drink.

“What the–?!” he spluttered, coughing and blushing. “Who the fu– Who told you that bull– nonsense?”

Ninomiya’s gaze turned stubborn. “I don’t think it’s nonsense!” he insisted. “I observed you! You really like him, don’t you, big brother?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. This stupid brat. What was he doing, claiming to know it all? And what on earth was he doing, being only a child and yet saying something that was so terrifyingly, dangerously close to the truth he was trying to hide from everyone, even himself?

“Captain’s an idiot,” he declared, forcing himself to stay calm. “He’s the most troublesome guy I know! What sane person would fall for a moron who still can’t explain things in a way you’d understand?” He scoffed. “You’ve spent too much time around Kazama. I told you the team was a bad influence!”

Ninomiya was silent for awhile. Then he finally asked, “So you wouldn’t be sad if Mizuki-san started dating someone?”

Kimishita tried not to flinch, but the question hit a little too close to home. Damn this kid. How did he always, always...

“I don’t care!” he shouted, perhaps a little too loudly. “If it means I get to see less of his stupid face, all the better!”

Ninomiya looked at him with wide, infuriatingly understanding eyes, slowly backing away. “I’m sorry!” he stammered, raising his hands. “I-I didn’t mean to upset you! It’s just...” The stubbornness on his face resurfaced once more. “You’re too amazing to be unhappy, big brother! You deserve to be with someone who loves you!”

Why did he look like he had someone in mind?

Well, it didn’t matter who he was thinking about. If it was a girl who Ninomiya thought was crushing on him, Kimishita flat-out wasn’t interested. And if he thought about a guy... he had to be mistaken.

“I don’t need anyone,” Kimishita snapped. “Do I look like I have time to waste on a girlfriend? I’m good by myself!”

“What if it was someone from your team who loves you, then?”

Kimishita blinked. He looked straight at Ninomiya’s face and couldn’t shake the thought that the boy knew _something_ , something he wasn’t willing to tell. Or rather, thought he knew something.

“Ah? Don’t be stupid,” he growled. “I don’t know what Kazama told you, but you better forget all of that! Life isn’t a corny romance novel, idiot!”

Ninomiya opened his mouth to object, then he closed it again, his face falling. He looked disappointed, sad even, almost like he was hurt on Kimishita’s behalf. “Sorry,” he mumbled and went back to his homework while Kimishita tried to continue reading.

He completely missed the look of determination on the boy’s face.

\---

Kakeru paced his room, a worried frown heavy on his face. He didn’t know what to do. Why had his big brother reacted like that? He still had to be in love with Mizuki-san, even though he clearly knew it was hopeless and unrequited. What was more, he was stubbornly refusing to accept the possibility that someone on his team might be in love with him, head over heels. What was wrong with him? Was his self-esteem so low that he couldn’t imagine someone falling for him? Couldn’t he see what a cool, strong, mature, smart, beautiful person he was?

He had to change his strategy. The straightforward approach wouldn’t work. His brother was too dead-set on denying his and everyone’s feelings to listen to anything he said. Kakeru should have known. His brother hated showing any kind of emotion, unless it was anger or annoyance. It was part of what made him so tough and cool. But right now it wasn’t useful at all.

His brother wouldn’t admit or let go of his feelings for Mizuki-san. And he refused to listen to Kakeru’s advice and open his eyes and heart.

This was bad! This was really bad!

Kakeru raked his hands through his hair. What should he do? There had to be some other way to make his brother realize Kiichi-san was a much better choice for him! There had to be a way to get them both together... but how?

_Get them to spend more time together alone,_ Tsukushi-san had said. Easier said than done. Kiichi-san seemed willing enough, but how should that work out when big brother kept yelling at him and sending him off at every attempt? How could even alone time help them get closer when all they did was yell at each other?

Groaning, Kakeru fell down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. If only he knew more about love. How did two people get together in the first place? Kazama-san and Tsukushi-san had told him a little, but it didn’t seem enough. If only he could research–

That was it.

Kakeru bounced back to his feet. Research! If he could find out more about people falling in love, perhaps even more about this so-called matchmaking... then he could help them both for sure! There had to be a hint somewhere, right?

He made a mental note to visit the bookstore tomorrow.

\---

Ooshiba gobbled down the contents of his plate at lightning speed, swallowed, and pushed it towards the middle of the table with a furious gesture. “Seconds.”

“Alright, alright. What’s with you today?” Mikoto turned and peered at him over the rim of her glasses as she piled another serving on her brother’s plate, giving him that big sister look she always gave him when she thought something was wrong. “You always eat this fast when you’re in a bad mood, did something happen?”

“Nothing!” Ooshiba shot back and started gulping down his second serving. His sister was right, of course. He was in a terrible mood, terrible enough to want to punch the whole goddamn world in the face, but like hell he was telling her why. Girls didn’t get this sort of thing. She’d probably just tease him anyway.

Finishing his food, he stood up, mumbled something the others generously interpreted as a “thanks for the meal” and stormed up the stairs into his room, slamming the door closed and flopping face-down onto the bed.

That stupid jerk-wad. That douche canoe. That goddamn stuck-up prick of an asshole that was Kimishita Atsushi! Why did he even bother with this guy? He’d had it with him and his bullshit! Had it up to here!

He couldn’t believe that guy’s favoritism. How come he got sent away with a string of insults whenever he tried to be nice to the jerk while Captain just had to give him a look to have him at his beck and call? Captain hadn’t even known him that long! Ooshiba had been there first, he knew him way better! He had a way greater right to be the guy Kimishita admired, the guy he respected and listened to and willingly spent time with, dammit!

What did Captain have that Ooshiba didn’t have, anyway? Nothing. There was nothing! So maybe he was older, all right. But Ooshiba was a better player, taller, stronger, smarter, nicer, and richer and more handsome to boot. He was better company in every single way. Why couldn’t Kimishita just realize that? He wasn’t asking for much, he just didn’t want to be that asshole’s number two, for crying out loud!

If only he could show him. Make him realize he was better than Captain, somehow. He wanted to show Kimishita he was worthy of being treated as the number one... _his_ number one.

Not because he liked him or anything. It just bugged him that Kimishita was so biased against him when they’d been a team for so long. That was all. Really!

Just how should he go about it, he wondered?

Oh well. He was a genius. He’d come up with something.

\---

Kakeru peered into the bookstore, looking right and left to make sure no one would spot him or recognize him. Once he was sure the way was clear, he slipped through the door, crept from shelf to shelf and finally stopped at the edge of the great unknown.

The romance department.

Kakeru swallowed. _This is wrong,_ a voice whispered frantically in his head. _You’re too young for this! Turn around!_

He clenched his fists. This was for science, he reminded himself, purely for research purposes. He had to help his brother and Kiichi-san find happiness. For that he simply needed to know a few things about romance, or else he’d be dead weight instead of helping Tsukushi-san and Kazama-san and Usui-san who all seemed to know so much about the subject. He had to understand, or else he’d be useless.

For the greater good. For his brother and Kiichi-san.

Taking a deep breath, Kakeru glanced from side to side, and when he had double-checked that nobody was watching him, he stumbled over to the shelf.

So many books. Where should he start?

Frowning, he walked along the shelf, his eyes taking in dozens upon dozens of flowery covers and elegant fonts, pictures of buildings and landscapes and couples that looked way too young to be standing so close and _why were this girl’s shoulders bare and why was the boy shirtless and–_ no, he couldn’t look. So shameless!

Kakeru stumbled on until he came back to covers that looked less... mature. There were still so many. Where should he begin his research? Most of these novels were five-hundred-page doorstoppers, and he couldn’t read them here. Buying them was out of the question. Should he skim through a few? But how should he recognize the important parts? Perhaps reading the summaries on the back covers would be a start. Maybe he could even find a couple similar to his brother and Kiichi-san!

So he reached for the least conspicuous cover he could find, checked his surroundings a third time, and picked it up, reading the summary. Only to put it back down with a sigh. It was about a lonely rich widower and the naïve young woman who started working for him, a pair that had zero resemblance to the two he was trying to pair up. Nothing to learn here. He should probably move on to the next one...

...only to put it down a second later because the story started with the couple already engaged. Next.

The third one seemed more like a mystery centering around a love story. The fourth one sounded so terrifyingly _mature_ that Kakeru nearly flung it back onto the shelf like it was on fire. The fifth one was something about forbidden love and vampires. What they all had in common was that they centered around shy, naïve, supposedly average young women falling in love with aloof, handsome mysterious men; not at all the kind of couple Kakeru was looking for. He wondered why people liked reading about the same couple in half a dozen different plots.

Kakeru sighed. This was pointless. At this rate he’d never find anything he could even vaguely use as a reference. What should he do? Should he keep looking through this shelf until he found something usable? Should he try using these similar-sounding stories for reference? He doubted they contained much matchmaking. But–

He paused. His eyes came to rest on the manga shelves a few steps away.

Maybe that was it! He might find a reference in manga. No doorstoppers here, and the couples in manga were usually younger, less... grown up than the ones he had seen in the novels. There were lots of high school stories too. There had to be something useful, right?

He hurried over to the shelf, examining the covers, searching for volumes with couples on the cover. Most of the couples appeared much the same again; round-eyed friendly girls paired with dark, handsome boys, and once again Kakeru couldn’t help thinking that romance readers really did have a type. Then he spotted something... and paused.

This volume had two boys on the cover. Paired in a way that could only be interpreted as romantic.

Kakeru gulped. Could this be the reference he was looking for? It might be a better choice than the boy-girl romances that poorly applied to big brother and Kiichi-san, but... why did he still feel like he was doing something forbidden in reaching for the book?

Steadying himself and pushing aside his frantic fears, he took it in both hands, opened it, and started reading.

The beginning of the story felt familiar. The two protagonists of this manga were rivals who clearly hated each other, one a cold workaholic, the other a brazen showoff. They were always at each other’s throats, constantly arguing or trying to punch each other in the face. Then one of their face-offs escalated, it somehow turned into kissing, and then...

Kakeru’s brain short-circuited. What was this? What was happening? They hated each other, why were they doing... doing... _this?!_ They hadn’t even confessed or held hands or gone on a date or even developed proper feelings for each other and one of them didn’t even want this and what was happening this was wrong this was wrong _this was wrong–_

Slamming the book shut, he practically threw it back on the shelf and ran away, as fast and far as possible, hiding in the darkest corner of the bookstore, covering his eyes and trembling. What had he just seen? Why did they have a book like this lying around without so much as a warning? Why would anyone write this in the first place? Why did this get published, why would anybody ever read this? This was _so wrong!_

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Kakeru slowly opened his eyes, looking around. The bookstore still looked empty except for a few students searching through the school textbook aisle and an old lady immersed in some historical doorstopper by the window. If anybody had noticed his freak-out, they didn’t show it at all.

He glanced into the direction of the manga aisle. Should he go back? The mere thought made his hands tremble and his face heat up. But he needed to calm down and try again. Otherwise going here would have been for nothing.

That book must have been an exception. There was no way he’d stumble across _such a scene_ again.

...Right?

Taking another deep breath, he tiptoed back into the manga aisle, careful not to be seen.

Alright. One more try. Better luck this time.

What cover looked harmless? Not this one, not this one either and _most definitely not this one,_ Kakeru observed with a shudder. Maybe he was getting paranoid, but if he had any influence on it he’d rather not see a scene like this again, now or ever. Better safe than sorry.

This cover! This cover looked cute and harmless, promising a sweet, innocent romance. Just what he needed. Reaching out with a gulp, he opened the book at a random page and–

No.

Not.

This.

Again.

Shoving it back onto the shelf with a distressed wail, Kakeru turned and ran out of the bookstore, refusing to stop until he reached the train station, breathless and panicking. What was that? What was wrong with manga? Why did they always have to include these scenes at such bad timing? _Why did he have to see all of them?_

...But now that he had seen them, he did have questions. Was it normal to include adult content in love stories? Was it just restricted to romances between boys? And if so, how much truth was there to it? Was doing these _unspeakable things_ perhaps a rite of passage before they were allowed to start dating?

If so, then he could never play matchmaker for his brother and Kiichi-san. Never, never, never!

\---

Kakeru was late.

Sighing, Usui looked down at his watch and frowned. They had agreed to meet up again today, to discuss a strategy and see what they could do with what each one of them knew about the idiots they were trying to pair up, but Kimishita’s little brother was still absent. He shook his head. This didn’t seem like the boy at all; he didn’t look like the type to keep them waiting for fifteen minutes.

“Hey,” Kazama spoke up, saying what they were all thinking, “you sure he’s still gonna show up? Like, I dunno, maybe he forgot or something...”

Tsukamoto shook his head. “No, Kakeru-kun wouldn’t forget something like this! Something has to have happened...” He threw a worried look in the direction of the school gate. “I hope he’s all right...”

Before Usui could say anything, a familiar voice caught his attention, shaken and distressed and completely frantic. “Usui-saaaan! Kazama-san! Tsukushi-san!”

Tsukamoto’s face lit up with relief. “Kakeru-kun!” he began to say. “What happ–”

He stopped when he saw the look on Kakeru’s face. The boy looked like a bundle of raw nerves, his hair a tangled mess, his eyes thunderstruck, his face glowing redder than a ripe strawberry. “I... I...!!”

Usui stepped forward, smiling gently as he rested a soothing hand on the panicking boy’s shoulder. “What’s the matter?” he asked, leaning down to stand at Kakeru’s eye level. “Take deep breaths and calm down. No matter what it is, we’ll hear you out.”

Kakeru took a few deep breaths and seemed to calm down momentarily, only to start panicking again. “I... I’m sorry!” he squeaked out, blushing and covering his eyes. “I can’t talk about it... it’s... I...!”

“What’s wrong, Kakeru-kun? Did something bad happen?” Tsukamoto squeezed his eyes closed in worry, starting to panic in his turn. “Are you all right? Y-You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-No, please don’t worry about me... I just... I just–” Kakeru cut himself off with a high-pitched wail.

Tsukamoto looked completely lost, and even Kazama’s expression was turning concerned. “Hey now,” he said, “what happened to you? See something scary?”

Kakeru gave a telltale jolt. Then he blushed from head to toe. And nodded.

“I s-s-swear I didn’t mean to see it!” he stuttered out, curled in on himself as he stood, his hands still covering his eyes. “B-But I... I-I only meant to do some research! I d-didn’t expect to find... _this!_ ”

He stayed silent for a few moments, then he continued tailing his story, turning more and more ashamed and distressed and panicked as he went on. When he was finished he kept still for a second, as if gathering his courage before finally raising his head, looking them straight in the eyes. “I-If what I saw is correct,” he declared, still shaking but determined, “then I can’t assist you in your matchmaking plans! I’m very sorry, b-but... this is not what I want!”

He bowed and was just about to hurry off when Kazama burst out laughing. “Dude,” he burst out, “I can’t believe you accidentally discovered BL!”

Kakeru blinked up at him, more confused than ashamed for the moment. “B...L...?”

“It’s short for Boys’ Love,” Kazama explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s about guys, but it’s written by girls for girls who think that kinda stuff is hot. Fantasies, y’know.” He shrugged. “Basically it’s just po–”

Usui cut him off with a dirty look. Tsukamoto paled. Kazama looked from one to the other with a stupid grin. “What?”

Thankfully, Kakeru didn’t seem to care about what Kazama had almost said, ignoring it in favor of what he had said out loud. His eyes and mouth went round, hope spreading over his face as he gazed up at him with the slightest hint of relief. “So it isn’t real?”

“Not much realer than your average Disney movie.” Kazama grinned and winked. “Except less... uh, family-friendly.”

Usui gave him a sigh and a shake of the head. Kakeru slumped in relief, a smile spreading over his face. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Usui smiled back at him. “If we say we want to pair up Kimishita and Ooshiba, we’d also rather see a healthy romance, believe us.”

Kakeru’s smile turned into a relieved beam. “I’m so glad!”

Kazama laughed again. Tsukamoto smiled. Usui relaxed, mentally checking off this problem as solved. Kimishita definitely wouldn’t approve of this if he found out, he realized, but seeing how embarrassed Kakeru had been to tell them about his misadventure he highly doubted he’d tell anyone else. The secret was safe with them.

“So,” he said, “now that we have this settled, let’s get to the point.”

The first-years nodded. Kakeru’s face dropped a little. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I still have nothing to add...”

Tsukamoto gave him a compassionate look. “Don’t worry, Kakeru-kun! Your help will be all the more important at a different stage!”

“Yeah, and I got a plan.” Kazama held up a victory sign. “Y’know what would be an easy and totally unsuspicious way to get them alone together?”

They all gave him expectant looks.

“Tutoring,” he said. “We could get Kimishita-kun to tutor Kiichiman since he’s flunking all his classes.”

Kakeru’s eyes lit up like a pair of flashlights. “Kazama-san, that’s brilliant!”

“Yes, it is! You’re amazing, Kazama-kun!” Tsukamoto shouted with an excited blush on his face, earning himself a proud laugh from Kazama. “But, um...” His expression turned worried again. “How do we, um... convince them?”

Usui smiled deviously. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said. “I’ll do the talking. Shiba will agree either way, and I’ve always found Kimishita pretty easy to convince.”

\---

“By the way, um... K-Kazama-san?”

Kazama turned to find Kakeru standing next to him, his face flushed with embarrassment at what he was doing but his eyes wide with uncontainable curiosity. “A-About what you said earlier...” His voice trailed off. “I’m just curious, sorry to bother you but... in that context, um... w-what exactly does ‘hot’ mean?”

Kazama gaped at such innocence for a second before he started laughing. For someone this innocent this boy sure could be pretty bold.

“Oh man, you don’t even know that? Dude, you’re so pure! I almost feel a bit bad telling ya about that stuff.” He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Okay, I’m gonna try and be gentle.” He paused and snickered. “That’s what she said.”

\---

This stupid lesson hadn’t even started, and Kimishita could already feel his soul leaving his body.

He had no idea whose brilliantly stupid idea this was, but if he ever found the culprit he swore he’d kill them with his bare hands. This was a complete and utter waste of time and brainpower and energy. He could think of a million things he’d rather do, things he would never have thought he’d want to do but that he’d now prefer over this nonsense anytime. He was never going to complain about the neighbor lady’s endless stories about her back pains and fifty-year-old anecdotes again. He’d even willingly let Haibara drag him on the next team karaoke night and sing as many songs as the others wanted if only someone would come in and save him from this nonsense.

And still he was here, because whoever had been stupid enough to think this was a good idea had been simultaneously smart enough to sent Usui Yuuta out to convince him, and of course he hadn’t been able to say no. As much as he wouldn’t mind dying right now, he wasn’t _that_ suicidal.

Fighting off the increasingly mind-numbing headache, he sighed and turned to Kiichi sitting next to him. The idiot was trying very hard to appear intelligent; all his notebooks and textbooks were stacked up neatly in front of him, his pencil resting on the table, almost parallel to the edge of the stack; he had buttoned up his uniform shirt and tied his tie, and he had even gone out of his way to borrow his sister’s glasses, even though he obviously couldn’t see a thing. He looked utterly ridiculous, and Kimishita didn’t even try to guess what was going on in his head.

He needed a break.

_Well,_ he thought, _no point in complaining. Let’s just get this over with._


	6. Not Really As Planned

Today. Today everything would change.

Today was Ooshiba’s opportunity to change what Kimishita thought of him. Today he’d impress him and show him how smart and hardworking he was and how much better he was than Captain. Today he’d win Kimishita’s respect and become his number one for sure.

And honestly, he couldn’t imagine what could go wrong. He was more arranged and prepared today than he’d been in ages. He had even gone through the trouble of making himself look smart, and he didn’t mean to toot his own horn but Captain would definitely never look half as amazing in glasses as he did. Maybe he should go for this smart look more often. It definitely added to his natural charm and good looks.

And now he was sitting here, next to Kimishita, eager to get started but forcing himself not to seem impatient and destroy his smart, sophisticated image. Kimishita definitely seemed to be in less of a hurry to get started, opting to stare at him instead, and Ooshiba generously forgave him because honestly, who wouldn’t stare at a view like this? And judging by his expression, Kimishita definitely seemed to agree, although Ooshiba couldn’t really tell because he couldn’t see a thing. His sister had to be blind if she needed those glasses. What a nerd.

At last Kimishita tore himself away from the sight, not without giving an unwilling groan and clicking his tongue. “I won’t even ask what’s going through your head,” he grumbled. “Let’s get this stupid lesson started.”

Ooshiba almost opened his mouth to yell that this lesson wasn’t stupid at all, Kimishita was the stupid one for calling it stupid, but once again he caught himself at the last minute. Man, being nice and smart was hard. How did people do it all the time without their heads exploding?

“Okay,” he said, smartly and calmly. “What do we start with?”

“I don’t care. You’re lost with all of them.” Kimishita looked through his own stack of books, which definitely didn’t look as neat or arranged as Ooshiba’s, and picked one at random. “Let’s start with math,” he said, still sounding rudely unwilling. “Have you memorized your tables yet, or do I have to send you back to elementary school?”

_Smart and calm,_ Ooshiba reminded himself, even as he gritted his teeth. _Don’t yell at him. You gotta make him realize you’re cool._

“Of course I have,” he said instead, sorting through his books until he found the one for math, smiling with uncontainable pride. “I know them just fine now.”

“What’s that smug smile for? That’s not something you should be proud of at your age, you ass!” Kimishita clicked his tongue and was just about to add another remark when he caught sight of the book in Ooshiba’s hands and stopped short. When he spoke again, his voice was decidedly irritated.

“I said _math_ , you idiot.”

Ooshiba blinked at him in confusion, then down at the book in his hands. “This _is_ math.”

“This is _world history,_ you absolute genius.” Kimishita slumped over in his chair. “How did you manage to confuse the two? They look nothing alike!”

Oh, this ungrateful jerk and his stupid impossible standards!

“Shut up!” Ooshiba burst out before he could stop himself. “It’s all ‘cause of those stupid glasses! I can’t see shit!”

“Miraculous. It’s almost like they weren’t made for you in the first place!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Cut your bullshit and take them off!”

“No! They’re part of my image!”

“The only image they give you is that of a blind idiot! Take them off!”

“No!”

“Take them off!”

“I said no!”

“Why you–” Kimishita cut himself off. Furiously clicking his tongue, he jumped to his feet, reached for Ooshiba’s face and pulled the glasses off his nose.

Ooshiba blinked, his eyes adjusting to seeing clearly once more. A little too clearly, even. So clearly that he wished he could go back to seeing blurry blobs again.

Kimishita was close. Way too close. His face was mere inches away, green eyes staring right back at him, furious and intense and _so green,_ what the hell, how had he never noticed how green they were? And his lashes were so long and dark and his skin was so smooth and there was this tiny mole on his cheekbone that Ooshiba had never noticed before, and his lips looked so soft and–

And he was _too close._

Ooshiba’s face exploded with red. Jolting, he pushed himself backwards, lost his balance and knocked over his chair, tumbling down to the floor and knocking his head against the ground.

Kimishita stared down at him like he couldn’t believe this was really happening.

“Kiichi...” he said, quietly and dangerously slowly. “What. Are you. Doing.”

Ooshiba looked up at him. He looked around the room, and then he looked at himself lying on the ground, his legs still hanging over the seat of the chair, and knew he had screwed up.

Without saying a word he scrambled up to his feet, put his chair back up, and sat down, furiously glaring at nothing but his math textbook. The right one this time.

Kimishita stayed silent for a few moments, then he moved his chair closer to him, sighing. “You all right?”

The back of Ooshiba’s head did hurt a little, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as his ego. So just turned away, half hiding between the pages of the textbook. “I’m good.”

“You better be,” Kimishita grumbled. “I’m not getting you an ice pack if you’ve given yourself a bump on your head, you moron.”

_Hey, whose fault is it you fell over?_ Ooshiba thought, feeling the back of his head. There really was a lump forming, but like hell he was admitting that to Kimishita. “Don’t bother,” he said. “I’m fine! Weren’t we gonna study?”

Kimishita continued to look at him with something that almost resembled worry for a moment, looking half inclined to feel Ooshiba’s head for any injuries himself. Then he turned with a click of his tongue, picking up his own textbook.

“All right,” he said unwillingly. “Let’s see how much I can get into that stupid head of yours.”

\---

Tutoring had gone about as well as expected. Which was to say, not at all.

Kimishita could definitely see that Kiichi needed tutoring, but there was no way the _amount_ of tutoring he needed could be brought up by one person alone. Entire books could be filled with the amount of things this guy didn’t know that anyone his age obviously should... no, not books; libraries. At this point Kimishita couldn’t help wondering if Kiichi knew anything at all.

But if only it was that alone. If Kiichi was just plain stupid, maybe Kimishita would still be able to handle tutoring him, somehow. Unfortunately, though, that was only part of the problem. The main problem was still Kiichi’s attitude.

That idiot was getting on his last nerve. He was smug and pompous and full of himself, he claimed to know things he didn’t, and when Kimishita tried to correct him he stubbornly insisted he was right until it became physically impossible. He was the perfect mixture of idiocy and ego, and it had to be the most annoying, irritating, migraine-inducing thing Kimishita had ever had the utter displeasure of dealing with.

In simpler terms, he’d rather die than tutor Kiichi again. Ever.

Why did it even have to be him, in the first place? Of course Usui had a point about him being the best student in the grade, but the vice-captain should also know he was the worst possible choice for tutoring anyone, especially stuck-up morons like Kiichi. Someone else should do it. What about Satou or Suzuki? They weren’t stupid too, and they were definitely leagues better at handling Kiichi than he could ever hope to be. He should ask one of them tomorrow. Even Usui shouldn’t be able to object after today’s trainwreck.

Yes, that was the plan. He’d talk to Satou and Suzuki and see if either of them could help. And if Usui had a problem with it, he’d calmly explain why he couldn’t do the task and hope he wouldn’t die.

He was doomed either way, after all. Might as well lighten his suffering as much as he could.

\---

Kakeru stood up when the door opened and his brother walked in.

“Oh, big brother!” he greeted him, eyes and voice filled with hope and curiosity. “How was your day?”

His brother marched past him with barely a grumble.

“Ah, right! Today was your study da– tutoring session with Kiichi-san, wasn’t it?” Kakeru continued, refusing to let things go just yet. “How was it?”

His brother walked up the stairs until Kakeru heard a door being slammed shut.

“...Not so good, huh,” he muttered quietly, disappointed. This wasn’t good at all. If they didn’t figure out a way of making this work soon, his brother and Kiichi-san would start hating each other for real!

What should he do? He still knew nothing... what should he do?

This called for help. Adult help. Or, at least, the help of some grown-up who was in on the secret and had wisely given him his number.

He only had to let it ring twice before a friendly voice answered. “Y-Yes, um, hello?”

“ _Tsukushi-san, help!_ ”

The voice on the other end of the line gave a startled yelp, clearly worried by Kakeru’s distressed tone. “Kakeru-kun!” he exclaimed. “A-Are you all right? What’s the matter? Are you hurt? Do I, um... um...”

“Huh? Ah, nonononono!” Kakeru flailed his hands around even though there was no one around to see it. “No, that’s not it! I’m very sorry to make you worry! I’m all right! I think I just need your advice... It’s about my brother and Kiichi-san!”

“Oh!” Tsukushi-san breathed a sigh of relief, although he still sounded tense when he continued. “W-What happened, Kakeru-kun?”

“It’s awful! My big brother just came back from tutoring Kiichi-san and I’ve never seen him in such a bad mood before, he didn’t even talk to me! I think he really hated tutoring Kiichi-san! We have to do something or he’ll start hating Kiichi-san too and then... _and then..._ ” His voice trailed off.

Tsukushi-san was silent for a moment. In his stead a second voice spoke up, calmer and equally familiar. “Uh-oh, sounds like a hard one. ...Not like that.”

“Kazama-san!” Kakeru’s face lit up. “Kazama-san, you can help us, right? We need to do something before our plan backfires! Please help us!”

There was a shuffle of footsteps, and then Kazama-san spoke again, sounding much closer this time. “Okay, okay,” he said with a laugh. “No need to panic. I mean, we already know Kiichiman and Kimishita-kun are kinda... complicated right? I’d say hard again but that’s not true. Yet. At least not for Kimishita-kun– _ow!_ ” His voice sounded more distant again, as if he was turning away from the phone. “Hey Dragon Lady, don’t just hit people for no reason!”

“I had a very good reason!” Ubukata-san’s voice shouted back. “Nobody wants to listen to your endless innuendo, you pervert! Especially not a child!”

“Endless innuendo... I like that. Does that mean it’s innu-endless?”

“...And one more bad pun and I’ll knock you out. Get to the point!”

“Yeah, yeah! Geez, you sound like Kimishita-kun. You guys should be friends.” Kakeru could hear the pout in Kazama-san’s voice. “Anyway, where were we? Oh right. Keeping calm and stuff. Don’t worry, I think I got this.”

“You do?” Kakeru and Tsukushi-san said in unison.

“Yup! First of all we gotta make sure Kimishita-kun doesn’t quit tutoring Kiichiman. I think I know the right guy for that.” Usui-san’s face popped up in Kakeru’s head without anyone calling any names. “And then,” Kazama-san continued, “try to give him a better impression of Kiichiman.” He paused. “Or something. Still gotta figure out how to pull that off.”

Kakeru wasn’t quite satisfied with that, but he trusted Kazama-san. He was older, smarter and leagues more experienced in the romance department than he was; Kakeru knew he’d come up with something.

“I’ll be counting on you!” he said, bowing with his phone in hand as if anyone could see him. “Sorry for the trouble! Thank you very much!”

\---

_Note to self: Next time I come home after an exhausting day, remember to put my fucking phone on silent._

Groaning, Kimishita shifted in his chair, trying to extend his arm enough to reach his phone without having to get up. He really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone today, but the stupid ringing was more annoying than any human being could be. Besides, he couldn’t ignore an incoming call; what if it was important?

The phone was just inches out of his grasp, so he got up with a grumble and picked it up from the nightstand. He just hoped it wasn’t Kiichi again.

He took one look at the caller ID and instantly wished it was.

“Hello?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady as he held the phone up to his ear. “G-Good evening, Usui-senpai.”

“Hello, Kimishita,” the vice-captain’s voice hummed into his ear, casual and friendly as always, although Kimishita still felt the urge to recoil and hiss at him like a cornered cat. “What a good thing I managed to catch you right away! I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Kimishita tensed up. Coming from him that never meant anything good. “W-What is it?”

“I heard your tutoring session with Shiba didn’t go over well.”

_What, is he seriously going to blame me for that?_ Kimishita was so baffled and irritated that he almost forgot his manners for a second. “That... wasn’t my fault,” he grumbled, carefully restraining himself. “He was even worse than usual today. I can’t work with him.”

“He’s a little difficult, I know.” Usui’s voice was still gentle and patient and perfectly unreadable. “You’re not planning to quit tutoring him though, are you?”

_Busted._

“I...” For a second Kimishita considered lying, but he cut himself off. He’d still rather jump off a bridge than go through another endless hour of tutoring Kiichi again. If Usui wasn’t happy about it, fine, so be it. He could handle that once.

“I am,” he declared, although he couldn’t quite get the shakiness to disappear from his voice. “There’s no point in having me tutor him when we’re always at each other’s throats. If you want to help him, you should find someone else more suited for the job.”

Usui stayed silent for a moment. “I understand,” he said at last. “That’s a shame.”

Something about his tone made a chill run down Kimishita’s spine.

“Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind about that?” he continued, and now his voice was cold, a piercing edge glinting underneath the mellow friendliness. “There was a reason we chose you. It’s an exercise in patience, you know? You have to learn to be more patient with people, especially people like him.”

Kimishita swallowed. Cold sweat was forming on his forehead. Damn it, standing up to Usui was easier said than done. “But...”

“No buts, Kimishita. It’s your job. We chose you for it.” His voice turned to ice, a dark, threatening menace that seemed to creep up on Kimishita from behind. “Are you really going to question our choice?”

Screw this. Screw everything, he was out of here. Kimishita still hated the thought of tutoring Kiichi again, but he wasn’t about to face the wrath of Usui Yuuta. He was scary enough when he was calm. Facing his anger meant facing an uncertain fate that could only be worse than death.

“...I’m sorry,” he grumbled, cursing himself and everything that had brought him into this situation. “I overstepped my boundaries. I’ll keep tutoring him, senpai.”

“Good!” Usui’s anger evaporated on the spot and left only a pleased chime behind, so pleased that Kimishita couldn’t help wondering if the anger had just been an act. “Thank you. Now that we cleared that up, have a nice evening!”

“Y-You too, Usui-senpai. Goodbye.”

Kimishita let out a breath as soon as he hung up.

Well, fantastic. Perfect. Marvelous. Not only was he stuck tutoring Kiichi until they either killed each other or his grades improved (with the former being infinitely more likely), Usui would personally end his life if he even thought about quitting again.

...Wait. How had Usui even known about the failed tutoring session in the first place?

\---

To say that Ooshiba was in an awful mood would have been the understatement of the century. He was in a terrible mood. He hated everything and everyone, and especially that stupid Kimishita.

Okay, so maybe the glasses hadn’t been that much of a good idea, but how could he have known those things made normal people virtually blind? He always thought they were supposed to make people see better! He had no idea how his sister saw through these. Wasn’t her eyesight already bad to begin with?

He wasn’t in the mood to go home and get yelled at by his sister for stealing her glasses and making her wear her spare ones, but he didn’t want to stay at school either. So he did what every reasonable person in his situation would do. He borrowed a soccer ball from the club room and went to the next playground to kick it around by himself.

Little by little the tension left his body. Moving around did help work off his aggression, and the amazed looks the little kids gave him worked wonders for his wounded ego. Smiling smugly, he performed trick after trick, one more difficult and flashy than the next, and reveled in the shiny eyes he got in response.

If Kimishita was here he’d give them quite a show too, he thought and instantly stopped himself in his tracks. Wait, why was he thinking about that jerk-wad again? He was trying to get his mind off today’s disaster! No thinking about Kimishita, that just made him angry!

He lost focus and accidentally kicked the ball in his face.

“Don’t mind, don’t mind!” the children shouted at him. “You were still amazing!”

The ball rolled a few feet away, coming to stop before a pair of shoes that looked a few sizes larger than the kids’.

His gaze followed the feet up to their owner, and he blinked when his eyes met with a familiar face.

“Kiichi-san? What are you doing here?”


	7. Bonding

Kakeru picked up the soccer ball in his hands, his gaze tracking back to its owner. He hadn’t been wrong in thinking he recognized him. Standing here, only a few steps away and rubbing his face where the ball had hit it, was none other than Ooshiba Kiichi.

“Kiichi-san?” he asked, surprised and happy to see a familiar face. “What are you doing here?”

Kiichi-san stepped towards him to retrieve the ball. “Right back at ya,” he said. “Isn’t it kinda late for a kid to be out?” He looked around expectantly. “Where’s Kimishita?”

“He’s at home,” Kakeru answered and watched as Kiichi-san’s face fell. “I was walking to the station when I thought I spotted you and went here to see...” He fumbled around with his glasses before his face lit up. “Were you hoping to meet my brother, Kiichi-san?”

“‘Course not,” Kiichi-san replied with an annoyed look, but the telltale blush on his face spoke a different language. “Why should I hope to meet that jerk? He’d just start shitting on everything I do again!”

Kakeru couldn’t really reply anything to that. Idealistic and full of hope as he was, he did have to admit that Kiichi-san was right; as things were, there was no way he and his brother wouldn’t start fighting again if they met here. He sighed. It still didn’t make sense to him. Why could two people who liked each other not be nice to each other? He’d always thought everyone felt the urge to be nice to someone they liked.

For a moment they looked at each other in silence, then Kakeru’s gaze fell down on the ball still resting in Kiichi-san’s hands. “Were you playing soccer?” he asked.

Kiichi-san’s face lit up. “Yup,” he said smugly. A proud grin on his face, he looked at Kakeru, expectantly shining eyes meeting with his own. “Wanna see?”

More of the amazing, pro-level soccer Kakeru had witnessed at Seiseki the other day? There was no way he’d say no to that. “Of course!” he exclaimed.

Kiichi-san’s grin widened, and he dropped the ball to the floor, picking it back up with his foot as it bounced and kicking it around in a series of lightning-fast but fluid motions Kakeru could barely follow with his eyes, one more complicated and acrobatic than the other. He was incredible, amazing, yet totally different from big brother. Where Kakeru’s brother had been sharp and precise and technical Kiichi-san was rough and flashy and powerful, his motions stubborn and explosive and irrational where big brother was cool-headed and calculating. They were completely different players, Kakeru realized. The only thing they both had in common was their neverending love of the game, the joy of playing soccer that shone through in every move, every kick, every step, every glance and breath they took.

“That was amazing!” Kakeru shouted when Kiichi-san paused for a breather, turning to him with the smile of someone who truly loved what he was doing. “You really are incredible, Kiichi-san! You definitely deserve the title of ace!”

“Thank you, thank you. I know, right?” Kiichi-san nodded and smiled like a king watching a parade to his honor. Then he kicked the ball up and caught it in his hands, tossing it in Kakeru’s direction. “Wanna try too?”

Kakeru jumped and yelped, clumsily trying to catch the ball in his hands and failing, running to chase after it as it rolled off over the ground. “Huh? M-M-Me?”

“Yup.” Kiichi-san nodded confidently. “It’s fun.”

It really did look fun. Kiichi-san looked like he was having a lot of fun playing around with the ball, and he seemed eager to play together with him, too. Part of Kakeru wanted to try it. But...

“I... don’t think I can do it,” he admitted. “I’m, um... I-I’m very bad at sports.”

Kiichi-san seemed unimpressed. “You can get better.”

“N-No way...”

“Yes way.” Kiichi-san crossed his arms. “Just like Tsukamoto.”

Kakeru blinked. “Tsukushi-san?”

“Yup. He kept tripping over the ball when he joined the team,” Kiichi-san replied. “He was fucking useless and now he’s kinda okay sometimes ‘cause he worked hard or something.” He smiled smugly. “He’ll never be as great as me though.”

Kakeru gaped up at him in disbelief. Tsukushi-san had started out like him, weak and clumsy? After what he had seen at practice he could barely believe it. And Tsukushi-san was a first-year too... Had he really improved that much in just a handful of months?

Did that mean... it was possible for Kakeru too?

Nobody had ever told him that before.

“I, um...” He wanted to try it. He wanted to play soccer too, even though he knew it would probably end in disaster. It looked so much fun, and he spent time with a friend like this since leaving elementary school. And maybe, just maybe... he wouldn’t fail completely.

“I... I’ll try it!” he stuttered out, nervously fidgeting with his glasses. “I’ll probably be very bad at it, so please don’t expect much, but...”

“Kick it.”

Kakeru paused. “Huh?”

“The ball,” Kiichi-san replied, motioning at it where it lay at Kakeru’s feet. “Kick it.”

Kakeru took aim and tried to shoot it towards Kiichi-san. It bounced a few feet and then rolled off into a random direction.

“I’m sorry!” Kakeru explained, running to chase after it. “I’ll retrieve it–”

Kiichi-san reached the ball before he could, sending it back to him. “Try again,” he said with a grandfatherly smile. “You might just be good. Trust me, I’m a pro.”

Kakeru wanted to tell him he might be mistaken, but Kiichi-san looked so confident that he couldn’t help wanting to trust him. He was right, he was an experienced player. He had to know talent when he saw it. But to think that someone this cool and talented would say something like this to someone like Kakeru... he was so nice. So nice that Kakeru didn’t have the heart to do anything other than comply.

He kicked the ball again, and this time it rolled off into the opposite direction, but Kiichi chased after it and stopped it with his foot, kicking it up a few times before passing it back to Kakeru. Kakeru failed to catch it and it rolled into the bushes behind him, but once again Kiichi-san was there to help him recover the ball and tell him to try again.

Kakeru did, and the ball hit a tree and bounced back to slam against his forehead, nearly knocking his glasses off. It flew back again from there, and Kiichi-san kicked it up and passed it back in Kakeru’s direction. A smug, proud smile spread all over his face.

“Hmm, you’re already learning how to head a ball,” he declared with the voice of an expert on TV. “Told ya you might be good.”

Kakeru rubbed his forehead, blinking incredulously. “Huh? I-I did?” He gave an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t notice at all...”

Kiichi-san’s grin widened. “You’re a natural.”

Kakeru still thought he was exaggerating, but Kiichi-san’s words were so kind, so incredibly kind he wanted to cry. Everyone else would have laughed at him or given up at this point. Everyone except Kiichi-san. Kakeru didn’t know what he saw in his clumsy attempts to play, but he was grateful, so heart-wrenchingly, overwhelmingly grateful.

Clenching his fists, he took aim again and shot the ball towards Kiichi-san. It rolled weakly for a few feet and stopped halfway between them.

“Hey, look at that! Man, just how bad can one guy suck?”

“So lame! Guys like him should just stop trying!”

“Hey, kid! Go do yourself a favor and give up, you’re never gonna not suck! Just a bit of advice from your friends, hmm?”

Kakeru gritted his teeth. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to hide and didn’t know where. _I know all that,_ he thought. _I know! I’m terrible at this and I’ll never be any good! But I... but I–_

“Hey.”

Kakeru looked up as Kiichi-san stepped towards the group of middle schoolers walking by, looming over them the way an angry wolf loomed over a pack of terriers. “Fuck off,” he said. “Go pick on someone your own size. Kindergarteners or some shit.”

They shrank back, stuttered apologies and hurried down the street and out of sight. Kakeru gazed after them until they were gone, then he turned back to Kiichi-san with stars in his eyes.

“Y-You...” he stuttered, searching for the words to say and finding none. “I... um... th-thank–”

“You’re welcome.” Kiichi-san smiled smugly and placed a hand on Kakeru’s head. “I’m not a hero for nothing, y’know.”

_A hero..._ He was right about that, Kakeru realized. Kiichi-san really was a hero, in more ways than one.

“You’re right!” he said, smiling. “You just saved me! Thank you very much, Kiichi-san!”

An even wider smile was the only reply he got, and they went back to kicking the ball back and forth. Kakeru slowly started to figure out how to send the ball more or less in the right direction, at least sometimes, and how much power to use so it wouldn’t stop halfway or fly into the next tree, more or less. He still tripped over himself and tried to kick the ball and missed and had to search the bushes for it and almost slammed it in Kiichi-san’s face and hit it in his own face and screwed up time after time after time.

But it was so much fun.

It was fun, kicking this ball around and messing up and being terrible at it in every conceivable way. It was fun because Kiichi-san was there, playing with him, not minding his mistakes, simply playing along with his clumsy attempts and showing off his own skills every once in a while, earning himself shiny-eyed praise from Kakeru. It was fun because he wasn’t alone.

Laughing and smiling, Kakeru kicked the ball again, shooting it way past Kiichi-san and sending it rolling towards the small jungle gym nearby. Kiichi-san’s eyes flickered up with an idea. Smirking, he turned and started chasing after the ball, aiming and shooting it right between two posts.

“Goal!” he shouted.

“Goal!” Kakeru joined in without a thought. Then he blinked in confusion. “Um... wait, what?”

Kiichi-san turned around, walked back to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Nice pass.”

“P-Pass? But... I-I-I didn’t do anything!”

“At least you sent the ball to me and let me score a goal! Not like your jerk-face big bro!” He huffed indignantly at the memory. “You’d still pass to me if Captain was around, right?”

_Oh, he’s jealous again._ Kakeru smiled awkwardly. “O-Of course!” he said, and it was the complete truth. “I’ve never played together with Mizuki-san, but I think you’re just as amazing as he is! You’re very talented and very cool and very kind and um...” His eyes shone and shimmered. “Playing together with you is a lot of fun! Thank you for bearing with me!”

Kiichi smiled that pleased smile he always wore when he was complimented. “You’re a good kid,” he said, patting Kakeru’s head. “Way nicer than your bro. I like you.”

Kakeru blushed with embarrassment. “W-Well,” he mumbled, unsure what to reply, “um... thanks...”

He glanced down at his watch and jumped. Where had the time gone? He had to be home for dinner in half an hour! Had he really been out here trying to play soccer with Kiichi-san for two whole hours? His parents had to be worried sick!

“Ah, it’s so late!” he yelped, fumbling with his backpack and adjusting his glasses and spinning every way to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. “I completely forgot the time... As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun! But now I really have to hurry home!” He bowed low. “Thanks a lot, Kiichi-san!”

“No prob,” Kiichi-san said casually. “Let’s play again sometime.”

“Huh? I-I mean, m-m-m-m-may we?”

Kiichi-san nodded. “Sure.”

Kakeru beamed for the entire way to the station.

As expected, his phone displayed several dozen missed calls from his mother. Kakeru frowned, feeling a little guilty as he pressed the call back button, guilty for making his mother worry so much. And still he regretted nothing.

“Kakeru!” his mother’s furious voice greeted him as soon as she picked up. “Finally, what on earth have you been doing? Answer your phone, stupid! I was this close to filing a missing person report!”

Kakeru fiddled with his glasses. “I’m sorry, Mom!” he said, bowing at no one who could see him. “I didn’t mean to stay out this long! It’s just...” He paused, and the biggest of smiles spread over his face.

“I was out with a friend!”

\---

Kazama groaned, stretched out and lay back down, resting his head in Tsukushi’s lap. “Man,” he said, holding his notebook above his head, “I’m stuck! This is kinda tough, actually...”

Tsukushi nodded helplessly. “What do we have so far?”

“Let’s see.” Kazama propped up the notebook against his chest and went over the list titled _Stuff Kimishita-kun likes._  “Uh... not much, I guess.”

The list was indeed rather short; the only items on it were _Soccer, Silence, Captain_ (with _Not an option_  quickly scribbled next to that), and _Money._ None of them usable for what they were trying to do.

Kazama groaned again and placed the notebook on top of his face. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good plan after all.”

“Don’t say that!” Tsukushi insisted. “It’s an amazing plan, Kazama-kun! We just, um... haven’t found the details yet...”

Kazama drummed his fingers on the cover of the notebook, pushed it up on one side, then on the other, thinking. “Really though, what could Kiichiman even do to get in Kimishita-kun’s good book? It’s not like he can bribe him with cash. Would be fun if he did though.” He laughed at the thought. “Hmmm... ah, man! What does Kimishita-kun even like other than soccer and money and lame fashion? Books?”

Tsukushi gazed off into the distance, deep in thought. His eyes came to rest on something Kazama couldn’t see over the edge of his notebook. Pushing it aside, Kazama followed his gaze and caught sight of a few middle schoolers walking by and eating popsicles.

Something in his mind clicked. He turned back just as Tsukushi did the same. They both blinked at each other with wide eyes.

“Food!” they exclaimed in unison.

Kazama jumped up. “Tsukushi, that’s genius!” he shouted, tackling him with a hug and knocking him over. “We can use that! Food, why didn’t we think of this before?”

“I don’t know,” Tsukushi replied, smiling up at him, and Kazama couldn’t resist the urge to cuddle him closer. “But... you really think we can use that?”

“Sure! I mean, Kimishita-kun loves good food. Enough to let Kiichiman feed him, remember?” Kazama winked, and they both laughed. “I bet he won’t be able to resist Kiichiman if he keeps getting him nice food. Sounds like a plan, right?”

Tsukushi nodded. “Yes! It’s an amazing plan, Kazama-kun!”

“Hey, no self-deprecation here. That was your idea, you little genius!” Kazama said, grinning and pinching his cheek. “Alright, let’s talk to Kiichiman tomorrow. Bet he’s not gonna say no.”

\---

“His favorite food?”

“Yes,” Tsukushi-san said over the phone. “Do you happen to know it, Kakeru-kun?”

Kakeru frowned, trying to recall any memories he had of his brother eating or picking out food. There weren’t many; he rarely ate at work, unless one of his teammates dropped by and instantly got sent away to buy him ice cream. Did he like ice cream the most then? Kakeru didn’t really have the impression. He felt like his brother mostly sent his teammates off to be temporarily rid of them and prepare for getting disturbed when they came back.

“Well,” he said slowly, pondering the question. “I’m not sure... I can’t think of anything special...”

“Nothing at all?”

Kakeru shook his head. “N-No...” he said, disappointed. “I’m very sorry! I’m afraid I can’t help...”

“No, no, it’s all right! You haven’t known him that long, after all.” Tsukushi-san sounded warm and friendly, but Kakeru still felt like an idiot. “Kazama-kun, Usui-senpai and I will keep our eyes open too! Together we’ll find something out for sure!”

“O-Okay... I’m sorry! I’ll do my best!”

Kakeru hung up and sat back, staring at the ceiling. Tsukushi-san hadn’t minded that he didn’t know the answer to such a basic question about his brother, but Kakeru did. He knew so little about his big brother. His brother rarely told him anything, and for some reason he never asked. For some reason he had thought he knew him well just because he usually understood what he was thinking.

He sighed. Always the same. He was always the same. He tried to help, he wanted to help, and when someone finally gave him a chance to do something he failed them. He really wanted to help his brother and Kiichi-san get together, but all he could do was get hauled along by Usui-san and Kazama-san and Tsukushi-san.

It couldn’t continue like this. He had to do something beyond relying on them. First of all he had to get them the information they wanted; then he’d start doing research again, gather knowledge and information and learn how to be a proper matchmaker. Not from novels or manga this time. He’d search through every source he could find and help the others and make his brother and Kiichi-san happy.

He’d do that. He’d pull his own weight. But first of all, he had to find out a lot of things about his big brother.

\---

“Say, big brother?”

Kimishita unwillingly tore himself away from his novel to turn his head into the general direction of Ninomiya’s voice. “Hmm?”

“When is your next day off?”

Kimishita blinked a few times, surprised, his gaze zooming in on Ninomiya’s face. He frowned thoughtfully, mentally going through his calendar and clicking his tongue when he realized he was pretty much booked out for the month.

“Never,” he grumbled, going back to his novel. “Unless you can magically create a thirty-hour day. Why?”

Ninomiya looked crestfallen. “O-Oh,” he stuttered, taking off his glasses and wiping them against his shirt even though Kimishita was sure they were still perfectly clean. “It’s just, um, well... I was thinking we could go somewhere to eat together sometime... b-but if you’re busy then... um...”

Kimishita perked up. “Eat?”

“Y-Yes! It’s just, I realized I don’t even know your favorite food or anything about you so... I-I-I thought we might!” Ninomiya placed his cleaner-than-ever glasses back on his nose. “I’d even treat you, so please don’t worry about money, um...”

Kimishita closed his book. “When and where?”

“Uh... huh?”

“When are we going,” Kimishita replied urgently, “and where?”

“I-I-I thought you didn’t have time–”

“There’s always time for free food. When and where?”

Ninomiya’s face lit up. “Whenever and wherever you want, big brother!” he said, beaming. “As soon as possible!”

“Good.” Kimishita stood up. “Let’s go tomorrow.” He went over all the possible kinds of food, his stomach growling greedily. “I haven’t eaten meat in a while. Or something sweet would be good.”

Ninomiya’s smile widened. “How about both?”

Kimishita looked back at him and thought that having a self-proclaimed little brother bouncing around him might not be so bad sometimes.

\---

_To: Kiichi-san_

_Subject: Good evening!_

_I’m sorry if this is a little out of the blue, but would you like to get something to eat tomorrow?_


	8. A Big Missed Steak (and Ice Cream)

“Hey, do we talk to Kiichiman now?”

“I don’t know... We still don’t know Kimishita-senpai’s favorite food, do we? Shouldn’t we wait for Kakeru-kun or someone else to find that out first?”

“Maybe Kiichiman knows already. He’s known Kimishita-kun for the longest, ya know?”

“Y-Yes, but... well, Kakeru-kun really sounded like he wanted to help us with this... I think we should still wait for his help, Kazama-kun!”

“Just for that? Aw, you’re so nice, Tsukushi! This is why I love you, man!”

“K-Kazama-kun, careful! You’ll knock us over–”

“Sorry, sorry. Okay, let’s still wait until–”

“Hey, first-years!”

The two of them jumped and straightened as Kimishita turned to give them a death glare. “Take your whispering somewhere else before I make you run laps! Some people in here are still trying to listen!”

Tsukushi bowed low and apologized. Kazama grinned shamelessly. Kimishita clicked his tongue, grumbled something and turned his back on them, stepping a few feet ahead and coming to stand among the third-years. Tsukushi glanced up at Kazama with wide worried eyes.

“Do you think he heard us?” he whispered.

“Nah,” Kazama replied. “Didn’t look ticked or embarrassed enough for that. Unless he just didn’t get what we were talking about, Kimishita-kun’s dense.” He laughed quietly, then he paused, thinking. “Actually, he kinda seems more chill today in general, or is it just me?”

Tsukushi shook his head. “It’s not just you... He’s definitely more relaxed!” He smiled happily. “Maybe something good happened to him!”

“Maybe he won the lottery or something.”

Tsukushi’s eyes shone. “That would be amazing!”

“ _First-years!_ One more fucking word and I’ll make you run till next Monday!”

“Sorry! Yessir!”

\---

Kimishita had to admit, he was a little excited. Alright, no, he was definitely excited about today; it had been forever since he had last gone out to eat, and the sole thought of free food made his mouth water and his stomach growl. He had brought only minimal lunch in preparation for later, and by now he was starving. As it should be. If he got the chance to eat to his heart’s content without having to pay a buck for it, he had to make the most out of it.

He wondered what they’d get. He had said he could use some meat or something sweet, and Ninomiya had offered to get both, but that still left a thousand delicious possibilities. Where would they go? Definitely to a place that served huge portions. He was so hungry he could eat a horse.

Changing out of his uniform and zipping up his bag, Kimishita walked out of the locker room with a content half-smile and hurried towards the school gate, where Ninomiya was already waiting for him. The boy spotted him almost immediately and raised a hand to wave at him, smiling nervously. Kimishita almost caught himself waving back and instantly buried his hands in his pockets to resist the impulse. Embarrassing.

“Big brother, good afternoon!” Ninomiya greeted him with the same sparkling eyes he always met him with, as if he was just meeting his idol for the first time, except that instead of growing used to the sight with time he just seemed to get more excited. “How was school? And practice? Was your day nice?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kimishita brushed him off impatiently. “I’m starving. Where are we going?”

“O-Oh yes!” Was it just Kimishita’s imagination, or did Ninomiya look a bit more nervous now? “About that, well...”

“’Sup, Kakeru.”

Kimishita whipped around to glare daggers at the very last person he wanted to see right now. The very person who had somehow manifested next to him out of thin air, standing there with his hands in his pockets like he belonged here.

“Kiichi,” he growled, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want?”

Kiichi looked perfectly nonchalant. “Meet with Kakeru, duh.”

“Wha–” Kimishita looked at Ninomiya and then back at Kiichi, without any idea what on earth was going on. “What are you talking about, idiot? He’s meeting with me!”

“Say what? He’s meeting with me!”

“In what delusional world of yours is he meeting with you?”

“Fuck off! Since when do you hang out with him, jerk-face? I thought he wasn’t your little bro to you!”

Kimishita gritted his teeth. “Listen–”

“Wait! Stop! Stop it!” Ninomiya stepped between them before they could start punching each other in the face. “Please don’t fight, you two! Does it really matter who I’m supposed to meet with?” He smiled brightly, looking a little too cheerful to hide the underlying nervousness. “Since we’re all here together now, why don’t we all go somewhere to eat? A-All three of us?”

There was an awkward silence. Somewhere nearby a cricket started chirping.

Eat together with Ninomiya and Kiichi? Kimishita could think of at least twenty-five ways this could go, and none of them didn’t end in disaster. There was no way this would go over well, and he was definitely not up for Ooshiba Kiichi ruining his rare and well-earned free lunch.

“Absolutely not,” he said decidedly.

“Sure thing,” Kiichi said at the same time.

Kimishita jolted and glared at him. “Who said you could invite yourself, huh?”

“Kakeru invited me,” Kiichi replied with the most infuriatingly smug smile, reaching out and draping an arm around Ninomiya’s shoulder, pulling him over to his side. “If you can’t handle the glory of my presence, you can always go home, _Kimishita-kun._ ”

A shudder went down Kimishita’s spine. “Cut the honorifics, you give me the creeps!” he snapped. “Get your filthy hands off Ninomiya!”

Kiichi’s smug smile vanished. “Whose hands are you calling filthy, you jerk?”

“Yours! Stay away from him, I told you you’re a bad influence!”

“You’re just jealous your bro likes me better than you!”

“He’s not my brother! Leave us alone!”

Ninomiya tore himself from Kiichi’s side and came to stand between them, looking back and forth with a panicked expression on his face. “U-Um... I-I-I’m sorry!” he stammered, shrinking back. “I really like both of you, s-so I thought the three of us might all do something fun and get along for today... That was stupid of me, I won’t try to do it again!” He hung his head, sad, dejected and disappointed. “I’m sorry.”

He looked so small now, so ashamed and disheartened. Tears glinted at the corners of his eyes, and his lips were trembling suspiciously, his teeth clenched together in a desperate attempt not to cry. Kimishita’s anger faded into frustrated resignation. He couldn’t leave him like this. Curse himself and his soft heart and every decision that had let him up to this point.

“...fine,” he grumbled, clicking his tongue and staring at no one in particular. “We can go together so don’t cry, brat. Kiichi, try not to embarrass yourself in public for a change.”

Kiichi opened his mouth for an offended response, but his anger was cut off by the look on Ninomiya’s face. The face looked up at him like a child on Christmas Day, his smile the widest he’d ever seen, his eyes shimmering and shining and sparkling with joy and delight. “Thank you so much, big brother!”

Really, what an incredibly, utterly embarrassing kid. Kimishita turned away to hide the faint blush of embarrassment on his face. “Don’t act like it’s a big deal,” he grumbled.

“It is to me!” Ninomiya replied cheerfully, and Kimishita vaguely wanted to crawl down a manhole until the stupid brat calmed down. Except that it probably wouldn’t happen, he realized. This seemed to be Ninomiya’s default state.

“So,” he said instead, changing the topic away from this mess, “where are we going?”

Ninomiya pulled out his phone. “Well,” he remarked, scrolling, “I’m not entirely sure yet but I made a whole list of nice restaurants nearby! The first thing you wanted was meat, wasn’t it? Feel free to look through this and pick–”

“I know a good steakhouse near here,” Kiichi interrupted him.

“You,” Kimishita growled. “Who said you could decide, huh?”

Kiichi stuck out his tongue at him, and Kimishita was just about to go on a lecture about manners when Ninomiya’s excited voice piped in. “Steak sounds amazing, Kiichi-san!” He turned to Kimishita. “What about it, big brother? Does steak sound good?”

It sounded utterly delicious, but like hell Kimishita was going to admit that.

Before he could say anything his stomach gave a loud growl.

“Is that a yes?” Ninomiya replied, and Kimishita wanted to die.

“Whatever you want!” he snapped without looking at the other two. “As long as we go somewhere before I start eating leaves!”

Oh, this was about to be fun. Not.

He just hoped the food would be good enough to make up for it.

\---

Well, he did have to admit the scent was promising. Incredibly promising.

He could smell the place from across the street, a rich, spicy, delicious scent of freshly grilled meat. His stomach growled like an angry dog. He swallowed hard to keep himself from drooling. Damn, the food better measure up to this amazing scent. Although he’d probably like pretty much anything in his current hungry state.

Then they walked inside, and Kimishita came to a stumbling stop in the doorway, gazing around with wide eyes.

Calling this place classy was an understatement. It was magazine-cover fancy, every part of the room bright and clean and elegant, with stylish designer chairs set around tasteful, classy tables. Every inch of this place seemed like it had been created by a celebrity designer and only just arranged together, never touched by a human hand until this very moment.

He’d probably feel out of place if he wasn’t so busy being awed.

“Big brother? Big brother, what’s the matter?” A hand tugged on his sleeve, and Kimishita blinked, stumbling back into reality. “We found a table over there, let’s go!”

Shaking off as much amazement as he could, Kimishita followed Ninomiya to one of the tables, carefully sitting down and stiffly glancing from side to side, trying not to touch anything. He felt like he was in a museum. Every single one of these things probably cost more than his father earned in a year.

The waitress passed by their table and gave them glasses of water. Ninomiya and Kiichi both reached for theirs to take a sip. Kimishita simply stared at his glass for awhile, watching his reflection in it and wondering how many extra hours he’d have to work if he happened to accidentally drop it.

He was so lost in his own awestruck thoughts that he didn’t even notice Kiichi’s gaze on him at first. It took him a good moment to raise his eyes and look at Kiichi’s face, and an even longer moment to note his expression. Kiichi’s eyes were fixed on his face, studying his expression with an oddly thoughtful look, watching him with a mix of amusement and something else Kimishita didn’t quite get, except that it felt awfully embarrassing.

“What?” he growled.

Kiichi jolted like a child who’d been caught sneaking snacks from the kitchen between meals. “Nothing,” he replied, averting his eyes and blushing. “Just didn’t know you could look like that.”

“Like what?”

“Not stuck up and bossy.” Kiichi took another big gulp from his glass. “I should bring you here more often.”

What the hell did that mean? Kimishita wasn’t even sure if he should feel angry or not. On one hand Kiichi had just admitted that he enjoyed seeing him awed and intimidated instead of his usual confidence. On the other hand... had he just offered to take him to eat here more often? What on earth was this idiot thinking?

He clicked his tongue. “Fine,” he grumbled unwillingly. “As long as you pay for my food.”

Kiichi placed his glass back down on the table with a huff. “Like hell I’m paying! Pay for yourself, Uncle Scrooge!”

“Oh, sure! If I ever have a few spare millions lying around I will!”

“E-Excuse me!” Ninomiya cut them off, waving the waitress over to their table. “Could we get the menu, please?”

Kimishita’s anger evaporated in less than a second. Blinking, he looked around and realized that the guests from the neighboring tables were all staring at them with disapproving looks. He swallowed, blushed and shrank in his seat. Damn his temper, had he forgotten where he was? And damn that stupid Kiichi for provoking him in the first place!

He was all too glad the menu was so large, large enough to hide behind and screen out the disapproving glares and Kiichi’s stupid face. _Don’t think about them all,_ he told himself. He was still here to eat, and eat he would, to his heart’s content.

His stomach growling, his eyes trailed over the dozens of dishes on the menu, forcing himself not to look at the prices. Everything sounded delicious. He wished he could try all of it, one after the other. He envied the people who could.

“Excuse me, have you chosen yet?”

Kimishita nearly dropped the menu. He had become so immersed in reading that he’d completely forgotten to choose, and now he had no idea what to pick. He barely listened as Kiichi and Ninomiya made their orders, frantically skimming over the menu again in a desperate attempt to choose something. Damn it, he couldn’t decide. He wanted everything!

The eyes of the waitress came to rest on him, expectant, and he swallowed. Ninomiya and Kiichi were staring at him too. _Say something,_ he thought. _Anything!_

He blindly tapped a random dish on the menu, reading out the name, something flowery and complicated he couldn’t make sense of. Oh well, it sounded good enough. He certainly wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially if it came in the shape of food.

The waitress gave him a look as if she wanted to ask if he was sure, then she caught herself, nodded, smiled, and disappeared with their menus. The three of them were left by themselves.

There was an awkward silence.

Kiichi slurped loudly on his water, earning himself some disapproving looks from the other tables. Kimishita clicked his tongue, embarrassed, and kicked his leg under the table.

“Ow!” Kiichi shouted, rubbing his shin. “What the fuck was that for?”

“Drink properly, idiot!” Kimishita hissed. “And for the last time, don’t swear in front of Ninomiya!”

“Um...” Ninomiya raised his hands in an awkward pacifying gesture. “I-I don’t really mind, so...”

Kimishita glared at him. “Don’t encourage him, stupid! His manners are all over the place as-is!”

“Shut up!” Kiichi shot back, clearly offended. “I’m the most mannered– uh... mannerish– manner–”

“It’s _well-mannered_ , and you’re not.” Kimishita crossed his arms. “As you just eloquently proved, idiot.”

“How’s not knowing a word the same as not having manners?”

Kimishita scowled. “I’m not talking about the word!” he said. “I’m talking about your response, moron!”

“I responded just fine!”

“You responded like a spoiled child! Now shut up and behave!”

“I do behave! You don’t behave!”

“I don’t behave because I’m trying to get _you_ to behave, you absolute bone-headed numbskull!”

Thankfully Kimishita was saved another stupid response from Kiichi because at that moment the waitress returned with their food, placing the steaming plates on the table in front of them.

Kimishita gave her the most grateful of looks, watched as she disappeared again and inhaled the scent. His stomach growled loudly. It smelled delicious, utterly delicious. He couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Thanks for the food,” Kimishita and Ninomiya said in unison. Kimishita nudged Kiichi under the table until he pouted and did the same. Then they all cut off a large piece of steak and dug in.

Kimishita chewed thoughtfully, determined to savor every last bit of flavor. Then he froze.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a roller-coaster mix of sour, bitter, and ridiculously spicy.

He grimaced, swallowing down the bite and grabbing his glass of water to wash it down with a big gulp. He almost choked on the water, coughing and gasping and staring incredulously at his plate.

What the hell was that sauce?

It wasn’t that he disliked strong flavors. He liked spicy food a lot, actually. Even bitter things he could handle sometimes. But sour... not so much.

And he certainly couldn’t handle everything together, alternating in a way that made him see stars.

_Calm down,_ he told himself. It was just the sauce. He didn’t have to eat that. He could just eat the meat and side dishes and curse himself for wasting such an expensive sauce after blindly ordering something he didn’t know.

He cut off another large piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

And grimaced again.

Sour! Bitter! Spicy! Bitter! Spicy! Sour–

He swallowed the half-eaten chunk of meat, nearly choking on it as it barely avoided getting stuck in his throat. What the hell was with this dish? Had they drenched the meat in the sauce before grilling it or what? He had taken a grand total of two bites, and his taste buds were already dying. What the hell, what the hell, what the hell? How bad did his luck have to be for a blind order to go so terribly, horribly _wrong?_

Ninomiya eyed him with concern, and Kimishita pushed his thoughts aside. This was still free food, and very expensive free food at that. Going by the looks of this place and this food, it had to be some kind of gourmet specialty, and Kimishita simply needed to appreciate that. Somehow.

He cut off a third slice of meat and couldn’t bring himself to put it into his mouth.

Ninomiya set aside his fork and knife. “Is everything okay, big brother? Do you not like your food?”

Kimishita squirmed in his seat. He didn’t want to tell Ninomiya his food was basically slaughtering his taste buds by the hundreds, in addition to making his head spin like a good roller-coaster. The poor kid was paying for his meal. He had invited him here, and it went against every single one of Kimishita’s instincts to tell him he still didn’t like it.

But it went against even more of his instincts to take a single bite out of that roller-coaster steak from hell again, so what choice did he have? It wasn’t like this was Ninomiya’s fault. He was the one who’d screwed up.

“It’s... painful to eat,” he admitted reluctantly.

Ninomiya’s face fell. He looked at Kimishita and then down at the plate and back at Kimishita, saddened and disappointed. Kimishita shifted uncomfortably and wished he could become invisible and disappear.

Ninomiya’s gloominess only lasted for a moment. Then the flicker of an idea lit up his face, and he grabbed his fork and knife to cut off a large piece of his own steak. “You can have some of mine then, big brother!” he said. “I couldn’t eat the whole steak by myself anyway, so–”

“No,” Kimishita said decidedly, even though his stomach was desperately pleading and begging him to say yes. “I can’t accept that! Eat it yourself, I’m fine!”

“But–”

“No buts! I’m not stealing a kid’s food, idiot!”

“It’s not stealing if I–”

“Kakeru.”

They both turned around to look at Kiichi, who had picked up his whole steak with his fork and was waving it around dangerously. “You can have mine,” he said with the smug aura of a generous donor. “So you can give yours to the starving peasant over here.”

Kimishita almost jumped out of his chair. “Who are you calling a peasant, you _bastard–_ ”

Ninomiya’s face lit up. “I know! Why don’t you give some of that to big brother, Kiichi-san?”

“Huh?” Kimishita and Kiichi exclaimed in unison.

Kiichi’s smug smile vanished. “Like hell I’m giving my precious food to that jerk! His own fault for ordering a shitty dish!”

“Good!” Kimishita shot back. “I wouldn’t accept your food anyway!”

Kiichi gaped at him in shock. “Say what?” he burst out, grabbing his collar as he dropped his steak back on the plate. “Appreciate my generousness, ungrateful bastard!”

“Who are you calling an ungrateful bastard!” Kimishita grabbed his collar right back, scowling. “I thought you didn’t want to give me anything in the first place!”

Kiichi blinked as if he’d been caught, then he blushed and pouted, his glare intensifying. “I do what I want! Get off my dick!”

“That’s what... she said?”

They both stopped in their tracks. Kimishita stared at Kiichi. Kiichi stared at Kimishita. Then, simultaneously, they both turned their heads to stare at the origin of the voice on the other side of the table.

“What’s wrong?” Ninomiya asked, so wide-eyed and innocent that Kimishita wanted to grab him and shake him. “Ah, d-did I use that phrase wrong? I’ve only heard it a few times so, well...”

Kimishita and Kiichi let go of each other’s collars to grab Ninomiya instead.

“Who taught you that?” they demanded.

Ninomiya looked back and forth between them, taken aback and increasingly puzzled. “N-N-No one in particular!” he yelped, panicking. “Myself! My classmates! I read it somewhere–”

He was a terrible liar.

Kimishita pulled him away from Kiichi’s grip and yanked him up to his feet with both hands. “Who taught you?” he asked again. He had a pretty good suspicion, honestly. He’d kill that bastard tomorrow.

Ninomiya hung his head, shrinking under his glare. “K-Kazama-san did,” he admitted quietly. “But–” he raised his head– “you’re not angry at him, right? Or me... Please don’t be angry, big brother!”

Hissing a breath, Kimishita dropped Ninomiya back into his chair, his hands shaking with rage. “That bastard...” he growled. “What does he think he’s doing, teaching children things like that, huh? I’ll kill him!”

“B-Big brother, there’s no need–”

“True.” Kiichi rested his hand on Kimishita’s shoulder, and Kimishita whipped around, ready to lash out at him. The look on his face stopped him in his tracks. Kiichi didn’t look smug or amused. In fact, he looked every bit as furious as Kimishita felt.

“You don’t gotta kill him,” he said, his fingers digging into Kimishita’s shoulder. “I’ll do it.”

Kimishita gaped at him. Since when was Kiichi getting protective of Ninomiya? He had always thought his teammate was only standing up for the kid to tease him... but could it be he actually _cared?_

Well, whatever it was, it didn’t keep the idiot from being a damn hypocrite.

“Look who’s talking!” Kimishita growled. “It’s a miracle he hasn’t picked your swear-words and poor grammar yet, moron!”

“Hey, at least I’m not turning him into a perv!”

Ninomiya paled at that, then blushed the darkest shade of red Kimishita had ever seen on a human being. Kimishita clicked his tongue, ready to snap a retort before he went on to calm the poor kid down and stop him from catching fire where he sat.

“E-Excuse me, sir?”

He spun around to find himself face to face with an embarrassed-looking waitress, the curious and judging eyes of the other guests at her back, staring at them. “I must ask you to keep it down a little,” she said. “You are being rather loud...”

Kimishita’s common sense came roaring back with a vengeance. His eyes widened as he realized where they were, what they’d been doing.

_I want a hole in the ground. Or an instant trip to a deserted island for the next decade or five._

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, sitting down and shrinking in his chair, staring at nothing but his plate. His steak had to be cold by now. It wouldn’t taste any better. He wondered if he should eat it anyway, just to do something.

A large hand pulled away his plate, pushing another one in its place, half a steak still on it, along with a few vegetables. “Here, eat this,” Kiichi said. “It’s for you. Aren’t I nice?”

“I’ll skewer you,” Kimishita hissed back, but his hands reached for his fork and knife anyway. He was still starving, and this steak looked too good to pass up. He just wished Kiichi had been less obvious about not wanting to eat his vegetables, except for the tomatoes, which had been meticulously eaten one by one.

He took a bite and felt his whole body relax. Delicious. This was exactly the food he’d been dreaming of. The rich flavors of grilled meat, sauce and spice mingled and spread in his mouth, gently warming his entire body from the inside as he closed his eyes with delight.

Kimishita took another bite, and another one, and before he knew it he’d gulped down the whole portion and didn’t know where it had gone. He wished there’d been more. He was still hungry, and part of him wished he had the money and time to come here more often and bask in this deliciousness again.

He opened his eyes and sighed happily. For a slow, beautiful moment he felt completely at peace. Then he looked at Ninomiya and found him beaming from ear to ear.

“What’s that smile for?” he asked.

Ninomiya simply glanced at Kiichi. Kimishita followed his eyes to find the idiot sitting there, lost in thought, gazing at him with the faintest little blush on his cheeks. For some reason the expression didn’t seem like him at all.

Kimishita smacked him lightly. “Cut the staring,” he snapped. “It’s creepy.”

Kiichi almost jumped in his chair, blinking as if he’d been roughly woken up from a good dream. “I’m not staring!” he shot back, turning and pouting. “You’re staring, you creep!”

“In what universe was I the one staring? Work on your comebacks!”

Kiichi took a breath to respond, then changed his mind, blushed, flipped him off, and turned towards the waitress passing by. “Can we have the bill, please?”

She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Ninomiya started digging through his bag for his wallet, but Kiichi held up a hand to stop him, swiping out his own wallet and brandishing a card. “I’m paying,” he declared with a smile so self-satisfied that Kimishita could almost see him sparkling.

“Huh? What?” Ninomiya jumped. “No, no, no, you don’t have to! I’m the one who invited you both, so–”

“You can pay for our dessert. I’m paying for this.” Kiichi stuck his shiny brand-name wallet back into his pocket like a showy businessman. “I’m the one who picked this place.”

Kimishita felt half tempted to comment on Kiichi suddenly growing some semblance of manners, but at that moment the waitress returned with the bill and he had to put all his focus on not looking at the numbers while Kiichi paid for their food. He smugly left a generous tip too, and Kimishita resisted the urge to grab and shake him for flaunting his money like that. All right, he was rich, _he knew._  The hell was he acting all smug for?

But since people were still eyeing them with curiosity he bit his tongue, thanked the poor waitress, and walked out of the restaurant with the others.

“So,” Ninomiya said with shining eyes, looking around the street, “what would you like for dessert?”

\---

At least he’d been here before. That was a relief.

Kimishita looked around the ice cream place they had walked into. He’d only been here once, admittedly, and back then Kiichi had brought him here, but he knew it; he knew the food here, he knew it wasn’t as ridiculously overpriced as that godforsaken (but delicious) steakhouse, and he knew what to pick. He was just glad he wouldn’t have to pay for his own sundae again this time.

They got in line at the counter, side by side. Kiichi stuck his hands into his pockets and looked around for free booths to sit in. Ninomiya gazed at everything with shiny eyes, hardly able to contain his excitement. “This place is so pretty!” he exclaimed. “It’s so nice and comfortable! And the ice cream looks wonderful! How do you know this place, big brother?”

Kimishita shrugged, feeling embarrassed at the answer to that question for some incomprehensible reason. “Kiichi brought me here once,” he said flatly.

Ninomiya almost bounced. “Really?” he exclaimed, beaming all over his face. “Kiichi-san did? You went to get ice cream together?”

...What the hell was he getting so excited about?

“To meet with an old acquaintance,” Kimishita clarified sharply. “Wouldn’t have asked me otherwise.”

Ninomiya glanced at Kiichi and then back at him, looking an awful lot like he wanted to object.

Thankfully he didn’t get to, because at that moment it was their turn to order.

“Hello,” Kiichi said without waiting for a greeting from the vendor. “I’d like the Triple Chocolate Special with extra rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry please.”

Kimishita gave an amused snort. “Kid.”

The vendor nodded and turned to him and Ninomiya. “And what would you like?”

“I’ll take the strawberry one.”

Kimishita blinked and turned. Ninomiya gaped back at him, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

Had they just said the same thing?

“Big brother!” Ninomiya exclaimed, shining and sparkling with joy. “You like strawberries too?”

Kimishita nodded awkwardly. “You... too, huh.”

It felt strange to have something in common, strange but happy, somehow. Like a connection he shared with this boy, this wide-eyed, excitable twelve-year-old who seemed to be the complete opposite of him in every conceivable way. And going by the radiant, overjoyed smile on Ninomiya’s face, the boy felt the exact same way.

They were each handed their sundaes and Kiichi directed them to an empty booth nearby, close to one of the windows. He sat down with his back to the wall and motioned Ninomiya over. “Kakeru, sit here.”

“Ah?” Kimishita growled, stepping between Kiichi and Ninomiya. “Who says he’ll sit with you, idiot?”

“I do!” Kiichi huffed. “He’s my friend!”

“That doesn’t mean I approve! Since when do you call him your friend, anyway? You have no reason to–”

“I do got a reason! He’s a good kid and I like him!”

“For the millionth time, you’re bad company! I’m sitting with Ninomiya!”

“Why are you so protective of him, jerk-face? I thought he’s not even your bro!”

“Um...”

They both whipped around to stare at Ninomiya.

“Why don’t you two sit together?” he asked, smiling innocently and pushing up his glasses. “And I’ll sit across from you.”

“Huh?” they both started at the same time. “As if–”

Kimishita stopped just as Kiichi did. Aside from this idiot being a massive pain in the ass, this might not be such a bad idea.

“...fine,” he grumbled, sitting down next to Kiichi and setting his sundae on the table in front of him. It was cramped and a little too warm, and Kiichi didn’t budge as far as he might, making it even more cramped, but at least they wouldn’t fight over who got to sit next to Ninomiya.

They all thanked for the food and started eating.

For some time it was quiet. Peaceful, even. Kiichi was too busy gobbling down his Greedy Kid Sugar High Special or whatever that thing was called to talk, and Kimishita and Ninomiya simply enjoyed their ice cream, the taste of fresh strawberries, the rich, cold sweetness on their tongues. For some time Kimishita caught himself thinking that maybe sitting together like this wasn’t so bad, that maybe once they got past the chaos and stupidity the three of them might actually get along every once in a while.

Then a clatter and yelp snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find Ninomiya’s ice cream cup knocked over, its contents spilled all over his shirt, his face pale and his eyes round with panic. “Um...”

Kimishita jumped up. Reaching across the table, he set the cup back upright and rummaged through his bag for tissues, throwing them at Ninomiya. “Here,” he said. “Try to wipe it off. You’re lucky it wasn’t chocolate ice cream.”

Ninomiya nodded and mumbled a thanks as he started to desperately wipe at his shirt, trying to get the ice cream stain out, tears welling up in his eyes. “Not again,” he whispered under his breath, so faintly that Kimishita barely caught the words. “Not again, not again...”

“Wipe it out with water,” Kimishita said quietly. “Bathroom’s over there. And here.” He took the spoon out of his half-eaten sundae, pushing it towards Ninomiya. “Take the rest.”

Ninomiya stared at him, so surprised his eyes stopped watering. “Huh?”

“Take it!” Kimishita insisted, averting his gaze as his face heated up with embarrassment. “You’d have done the same for me earlier. I’m not that hungry anyway.”

Ninomiya blinked a few more times, incredulous, then his eyes teared up again. “Big brother!” he burst out, sniffling. “Y-You’re so kind!”

“Don’t cry over something like this, idiot! Just wipe off that stain and finish your ice cream!”

Ninomiya nodded and started off towards the bathroom. “Thank you!” he shouted as he went.

Kimishita was left alone with Kiichi.

For a very long, very awkward moment, neither of them said a word. Then Kiichi slowly pushed his Death By Chocolate Special over until it was in the middle between them. “You can have some,” he said.

Now it was Kimishita’s turn to gape. “Wha–”

“You can have some, jerk,” Kiichi grumbled, turning away, but Kimishita didn’t miss how red his ears turned. “Good job helping Kakeru... or something.”

“Idiot,” Kimishita growled back, getting embarrassed in his turn. “That’s nothing to praise me for! I don’t want a reward for basic human decency!”

“You want the ice cream or not?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue, picked up his spoon, and tried a mouthful of Kiichi’s ice cream. Sweet. And chocolaty. And not half bad.

Kiichi turned back and took a spoonful too. Kimishita waited his turn, then they both started taking alternating spoonfuls, avoiding each other’s eyes and trying to ignore the stares people directed at them as they passed by. The cup was empty way too soon. By the time Ninomiya returned his own portion had almost melted and turned into a kind of strawberry-vanilla sauce, and Kimishita and Kiichi were both staring in opposite directions without saying a word.

He looked back and forth between the two of them and smiled. “Oh, did you share your ice cream, Kiichi-san?”

They both jumped, blushing. “Ah? What the–”

Ninomiya simply pointed at the empty cup still standing between them and the spoons next to it. That delighted smile spread all over his face again.

Kimishita resisted the strong urge to dump the remains of the strawberry sundae over his head.

He’d been an idiot to think that going somewhere with these two idiots would be anything less than a humiliation and a major disaster. He was definitely never doing anything like this again.

Ever!


	9. Getting Along

Today had been a good day, Ooshiba thought as he stepped into his room, closed the door behind him, and sprawled out on the fluffy carpet next to his bed, a big fat smile on his face. He’d been really cool today. Kakeru seemed to have found him even more awesome than he usually did, and he wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt like his behavior today had impressed even Kimishita. After all, who could resist a cool hero like him? And such a generous one at that? He couldn’t think of anyone. After all, who else would generously give half their food to their friend– _jerkass teammate_ just because he didn’t like his own? And pay for their companions’ meals out of sheer kindness and leave a generous tip for the waitress? _And_ share their favorite ice cream with their rival who’d given his own to his little brother who had spilled it? That wasn’t just generous, that was awesome. Selfless. Kimishita had to be impressed.

Admittedly Ooshiba had gone home hungry, but that had been worth it. Seeing how much Kimishita loved good food more than made up for the growling stomach. It was always amazing how awed he got at the mere sight of quality food, and the look of sheer happiness that spread over his face when he munched on something good was even better. The way his default scowl melted away, his features relaxing and making him look years younger, the way his eyes closed and his cheeks tinged pink with a happy little blush as he munched away was nothing short of cute– wait, what?

Cute? No, no, no. No. Kimishita wasn’t cute in any way, shape or form, what the hell was wrong with him? He must have been looking for a different word. Wouldn’t be the first time he accidentally said the wrong one.

No, the word he’d been thinking of was different. Kimishita’s expression when he was eating was... it was... adorable– _no!_

He didn’t think Kimishita was cute! Even though he did sometimes remind him of an annoyed cat, all angry growls and hisses and sharp claws and teeth but also soft and fluffy at the strangest of times, aloof but occasionally awkward, with this slight streak of innocence that would shine through the anger and brains and bad temper every once in a while. It wasn’t helping that he looked kind of feline too, with that weird fluffy hair and the slanted green eyes and everything. And Ooshiba did think cats were kind of cute, even if they were assholes. But that didn’t mean he thought the same thing about Kimishita! He didn’t find that jerk cute! How lame would that be?

_Not cute,_ he told himself even as Kimishita’s happy munching face popped up in his mind again. Not even a bit cute! Kimishita was totally uncute! He should be cuter. Maybe if he was nicer he might be cute. But not as long as he was like this!

No, Kimishita wasn’t cute. Kakeru was cute, all excitable and sparkly-eyed and nice and stuff. He was cute in the same way puppies or kittens were cute, cute in a way that made Ooshiba want to be nice to him where he could. Thinking back, it might be the same for Kimishita, kind of. That guy was still grumpiness incarnate so it was hard to tell, but Ooshiba knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t give his precious free ice cream to just anyone. Although that guy still sucked as a big brother. Ooshiba would make a way better big brother to Kakeru. Why wasn’t he his big brother? He’d always wanted younger siblings, being the youngest in the family sucked!

Well, maybe he could become a substitute. Act like Kakeru’s big brother since his actual one was doing such a shitty job at it. If Kimishita got jealous of his brothering skills, all the better. Ooshiba hadn’t been a brother for all his life for nothing.

And hey, if him taking Kakeru under his wing resulted in more time spent with Kimishita, he sure as hell wasn’t complaining. Just as a side effect. It wasn’t like he was doing this because of Kimishita.

Duh!

\---

Footsteps approached his favorite spot, and Kakeru crouched lower, hoping and praying that nobody would see him between the bushes and high grass. Hoping and praying that they wouldn’t notice him, wouldn’t recognize him, wouldn’t say a word to him. He hoped they’d act like he wasn’t there. He hoped the footsteps would pass by and leave him alone once more.

The approaching footsteps were so loud. His heartbeat was even louder. Why was it so loud? It sounded like drums booming. Kakeru wondered if they could hear it. And if they did, would they notice him sitting here? Would they ask him what he was doing in this place? What should he reply if they did? What if this place was actually their spot and he was taking it from them without knowing, what if–

He forced the thought back, back into the depth of his consciousness from whence it came. It should be fine. He should be fine. Those people would be gone in a moment, and then he’d be alone again.

The footsteps seemed to be taking forever. They belonged to several people, Kakeru noticed, although he couldn’t tell how many, trying to count them and failing. There were voices too. He couldn’t tell what they were saying. He didn’t care. He was just sitting there, hoping they’d pass him and fade.

Then the footsteps stopped, and so did Kakeru’s heart.

Silence.

Then there was a rustle of feet walking over grass, stopping a few steps away. “Hey,” a voice called, “what are you doing in there? You okay?”

Kakeru slowly raised his head and looked up. The boy looking down at him was a third-year, going by his tie. _That’s something,_ he tried to tell his pounding heart and heavy breath. _That means he’s only a year younger than Tsukushi-san and Kazama-san. It should be fine._

“Ye-Ye-Yes,” he stammered, shrinking back and racking his brain for a possible excuse. “I’m fine! Perfectly fine! Amazingly fine! Never been better! I-I was just, um... Playing hide and seek! That’s right! I’m trying to win, so please pretend you never saw me and, um...”

No good. It was no good. They were seeing right through his lie, weren’t they? They knew he was lying and they couldn’t be happy about it and–

“Oh, all right.”

Kakeru nearly fell over backwards, his eyes wide as saucers with disbelief. “I-I’m sorry?”

“We didn’t mean to bother you,” the third-year said. “Just got a bit worried.” He turned back to his friends. “Let’s go somewhere else, guys!”

Kakeru sat frozen in place, silently watching as they turned and walked away, his arms and knees shaking. He wanted to thank them, but his throat felt too dry to croak out a single syllable. Had he just survived an interaction with other middle schoolers? Without it ending in a huge embarrassment or worse?

Maybe those three years wouldn’t be as tough as he’d feared. Maybe he might actually make it through more interactions–

“Hey, what’s that kid doing over there?”

Kakeru froze. _Don’t mean me, don’t mean me, don’t mean me–_

“I think he’s eating lunch,” a second voice said, and Kakeru realized he knew both of them. His classmates. What were they doing here? They never came here during lunch break! He’d always been safe from talking to them here!

Scrambling to hide his lunch box, he tripped over a root, sent his chopsticks flying, and knocked over the box, its contents spilling all over the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes. Biting his lip, Kakeru tried to pick them up, stuffing them back into the box, plucking off the leaves and bugs and bits of grass stuck to them, hoping against hope that his classmates hadn’t seen. Fully knowing they had.

“Do you need help?” a third voice shouted over to him, and Kakeru picked up his pace, his hands trembling and dropping everything they tried to hold. He didn’t miss the mocking edge in the boy’s voice. He knew he had to look like a complete idiot. He knew what they were thinking of him. He knew what they’d already thought of him to begin with.

“Hey, who is that guy, anyway?” the first voice asked the other two. “I feel like I’ve seen him before.”

The others laughed. “Yukki, what the hell?” the third voice exclaimed. “You don’t know your own classmates?”

“That’s Ninomiya,” the third voice added. “Y’know, Ninomiya? That quiet kid with the glasses?”

_Stop it,_ Kakeru thought. _Stop it! Go away... please..._

“Oh, that guy! He’s so invisible I didn’t even know his name!” Yukki laughed. “Hey, Ninomiya!” he called over to Kakeru. “Whaddya doing out here by yourself, got something to hide or what?”

“N-N-No!” Kakeru clutched his lunch box, trying to still the tremor in his hands and the frantic pounding of his heart. “I-I-I enjoy this place is all! I mean the view! The, the, the atmosphere! So, um...”

“So it’s that nice, huh?” The second guy grinned, and Kakeru shrank back. “Then you don’t mind if we join you, right?”

“W-Well... Actually, I–”

“Hey, what’s that?” Yukki asked, staring down at the bits of food still spilled on the grass.

And Kakeru’s shirt and blazer.

Kakeru gasped, trying to cover every stain on his clothes at once, but there were to many. Even his tie was stained, there was no way he’d be able to get all that out! He had to look so stupid... so stupid in front of the popular kids...

Again.

He really, really, really wanted to go home right now. And if it wasn’t against all the school rules, he would.

\---

“I’m sorry I’m late! Sorry for the wait, Kiichi-san!”

Ooshiba stopped kicking the ball around and let it bounce to the ground, turning into the direction of the voice. Sure enough, there was Kakeru, running up to him and looking decidedly more disheveled than usual. He wasn’t wearing his tie; his shirt and blazer were crumpled and wrinkled, darker, seemingly wet spots adorning the fabric in some places, as if he’d tried to rub out some stains with water. His hair was a wind-tossed mess. His glasses were threatening to slip off his nose, hanging dangerously low on one side, and his eyes...

Ooshiba frowned. Kakeru’s eyes looked red and puffy and still a little wet, as if he’d been crying.

“Hey,” he called out to the boy, who was trying his best to muster a breathless smile, “what happened to you?”

“Me? Oh, um...” Kakeru’s smile went wider as he stopped and adjusted his glasses, blinking a few times. “Just an accident! I spilled some water over myself is all. But I’m almost dry again now so please don’t worry!” He placed his bag under a nearby tree. “I’ve been running too, so you won’t have to worry about me catching a cold!” He beamed from ear to ear. “I’m perfectly warm!”

It sounded like a well-prepared lie.

Kakeru didn’t look like he had simply spilled water over himself. His eyes were telling a different story. Something had happened, and he was trying to hide what it was.

“What happened to your eyes?” Ooshiba tried to pry, wondering how much he could bug the kid without him shutting down and not telling him anything at all. If something had made Kakeru cry, he wanted to know what it was and if there was any possibility for him to beat it up.

“Huh? Oh...” Jumping, Kakeru brought up his hands to try and cover his eyes, then searched for any reflective surface to check how they looked. “W-Why, do they look bad?”

_Like you’ve been crying,_ Ooshiba thought. “Yeah, kinda,” he said out loud.

“O-Oh, that’s... D-D-Don’t worry!” Kakeru stuttered out, flailing his hands around and smiling energetically. “It’s just some allergies, you know? A-Ah, but I’ve taken my medicine so I’m already better now!”

Ooshiba blinked slowly. That made sense. Allergies... that poor kid. Ooshiba had some allergies too, but mostly to some foods and they didn’t make his eyes red and puffy. He only ever got rashes.

Still, a tiny little part of him didn’t feel quite convinced.

But either way, Kakeru seemed to be fine now, and if he’d been looking a little down before then Ooshiba should definitely be a hero and cheer him up. And what way to do that better than with soccer?

Tucking his hand in his pocket, he kicked the ball up with one foot, then sent it towards Kakeru. “Let’s score some more goals.”

\---

Kakeru cheered up quickly. With every ball he kicked back towards Ooshiba the smile on his face grew wider, and soon he was back to his happy, excited self, even if he still kept tripping over his feet and sending the ball in weird directions. And still...

And still something seemed off. It was small, and at first Ooshiba had barely noticed, but every time he messed up, every time he made a mistake or did something clumsy Kakeru’s face would fall, a distressed shadow casting over his eyes until Ooshiba caught his wayward ball or helped him up on his feet with a brotherly smile and an encouraging line. Kakeru had always seemed insecure, but today his insecurity was on a whole new level.

Was it really just his allergies? Had something happened to him after all?

“Hey,” Ooshiba said after they’d scored another jungle gym “goal” together, “you sure you’re okay?”

Kakeru jumped and paled, taking a hurried step back. “Ye-Yes!” he stammered hastily. “I’m perfectly fine! My allergy’s better already, I promise–”

“Not the allergy.” Ooshiba took another step forward and grabbed his shoulders. “What made you cry earlier?”

Kakeru went rigid. All color drained from his face. His eyes darted from side to side, looking at anything but Ooshiba’s face.

“I...” he stuttered, slowly backing away, “I didn’t–”

“What made you cry?” Ooshiba insisted. “You gotta tell me or I can’t beat the shit outta who hurt you.”

“I...” Kakeru stared at him, wide-eyed, half grateful, half ashamed. Then he smiled. “It’s nothing!” he said cheerfully. “I’m thankful for your concern, but it’s really nothing! I’m too sensitive is all.” He looked down at his watch and jumped. “O-Oh, that late already? I’m sorry, Kiichi-san, but I really have to go! Time really flies when you’re having fun... See you next time, Kiichi-san! Thanksfortodaygoodbye!”

And off he was, grabbing his bag and running away. Ooshiba stared after him in confusion. He’d been right, the kid had definitely been crying earlier. Something must have happened. Was it something bad? Had someone hurt him? Who was that bastard? Ooshiba wanted to snap their neck!

Damn, this was frustrating. Wanting to help was so frustrating when you didn’t know what to do, didn’t even know what was going on but knew that something was, and you didn’t know how to find out without prying and nagging and making things even worse. He half cursed himself for not running after Kakeru before the boy had disappeared from his sight. The other half was cursing himself for cornering him like that and making him panic and run off in the first place.

He just hoped this was a one-time thing. Whoever or whatever had made him cry had been lucky this time. But if there was a next time...

If there was a next time, he’d personally punch whatever had brought Ninomiya to tears in the face. Even if it didn’t have one. Details.

For a split second Ooshiba wondered if he should ask Kimishita about it. That jerk was still supposed to be Kakeru’s brother, maybe he knew something– no. Even if he did, he’d never tell him. And like hell Ooshiba was going to Kimishita for help about someone that guy didn’t even care for as much as he did!

\---

Kakeru didn’t go home. He had told his mother he’d be home late today, and if he showed up this early she’d just start asking him questions. Questions Kakeru wouldn’t be able to answer without bursting into tears again.

He felt like an idiot. Why was he such a crybaby? Why hadn’t he been able to hold back his tears just this one time? Now he had made Kiichi-san worry, and then he had chickened out and run off and acted like a complete weirdo all over again. How could he face Kiichi-san now? Even if he didn’t think Kakeru was weird after today, facing him again was too embarrassing. Couldn’t he have thought of a better lie? Couldn’t he have brushed it off somehow instead of running away like a total idiot? His brother wouldn’t have panicked. He would have made a snide remark and mocked Kiichi-san for worrying, and Kiichi-san would have been embarrassed and tried to defend himself, and that would have been it. The thought made Kakeru smile a little. His brother...

Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him down the familiar streets to the store, and the next thing he knew he was on the doorstep, peering inside. The shop was half-lit as usual, nobody to be seen from his spot, no voices to be heard. It was quiet, quiet and peaceful, just like he loved it best.

Kakeru quickly checked his reflection in the slightly dusty glass to make sure his eyes weren’t red or swollen anymore, then he stepped in through the door.

\---

Kimishita quickly straightened his posture when the sound of footsteps approached his desk, setting his book aside. He relaxed again as soon as he caught sight of Ninomiya’s face, wide eyes lighting up when their gazes met.

“Ah,” he said, picking his book back up. “It’s just you.”

“Are you growing used to me already? I’m glad, big brother!” Ninomiya smiled from ear to ear, hurrying up to stand in front of the desk. “Good afternoon!”

Kimishita’s eye twitched. Used to him? Ninomiya was the only person he knew who’d read something as kind out of his earlier remark. “Of course I’m getting used to you, stupid,” he grumbled awkwardly. “You’re part of the inventory by now.”

“I wish I was, because then I could stay here all the time!” Ninomiya’s eyes shone. “Ah, no, but I love my parents too... and my grandmother, and everyone else in the house... I’d miss them if I was here all the time, but still...!”

Kimishita didn’t even try to make sense of him. “You’re late today,” he remarked instead.

Ninomiya looked at him with a moved, grateful smile. “You noticed?”

“Who wouldn’t notice! I’m not stupid!” Kimishita clicked his tongue, trying not to blush with embarrassment. Fine, so maybe he did care about Ninomiya by now, but that was no reason for the brat to make such a big deal out of it! “You always come here about an hour earlier, where have you been today?”

“Oh, I met with Kiichi-san!”

Kimishita dropped his book. “What the–” He glared daggers at him, scowling murderously. “ _I keep telling you to stay away from that idiot, you brat!_ ”

Ninomiya jumped. “B-But he didn’t do anything bad!” he stuttered. “Kiichi-san has been teaching me to play soccer! I’m terrible at it, but he’s still very nice and it’s a lot of fun!” He smiled from the bottom of his heart. “Kiichi-san is a bit rude sometimes, true, but he’s also very kind, big brother! You should trust him more!”

_I trust him with my life,_ Kimishita thought, but he was definitely not saying that to someone like Ninomiya. “He’s still an idiot,” he replied. “And an entitled brat who can only be told from a kindergartener through his height.”

“To me he’s a real adult!”

“Your concept of adults is terrifying.”

Silence.

Kimishita sighed quietly and picked up his book again, trying to remember at which paragraph he’d left off when Ninomiya had walked in. He didn’t get very far in his search.

“Big brother! Is that _And Then There Were None?_ ”

Kimishita looked up to be met with Ninomiya’s excitedly sparkling eyes.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to read it for years. You know it?”

“Yes! Yes, of course I do!” Ninomiya looked like he was trying to restrain himself from jumping up and down. “It really scared me, but it was so exciting! I couldn’t put it down and stayed up reading all night... Do you like mystery novels too, big brother?”

Kimishita nodded. “You... too?”

“Yes! I love them! Most of the time they scare me and I can’t sleep afterwards, but I can’t stop reading them!” Ninomiya went on and on, overjoyed. “When I was little I used to spend entire weeks just reading book after book, even at night... and then my mother would catch me reading at four in the morning and send me to bed but I kept on reading under the blanket after she left because I couldn’t sleep until I knew the ending! These days I don’t have as much time to read so I mostly reread books where I already know the ending, just so I can put it down anytime, you know... But most of them are still amazing! Especially the classics, classic novels are so wonderful!” He paused, blinked for a few seconds and blushed, covering his mouth. “Ah, I talked way too much...”

Kimishita said nothing. Ninomiya had just exactly described him as a kid, burying himself in his room with a pile of books from the library and not budging unless his father dragged him off to eat or forcefully tucked him into bed at an ungodly hour of the night, and continuing to read even then. He had only stopped doing all that because time was scarce; otherwise he didn’t doubt he’d still be doing the same thing.

“Classic novels are good,” he agreed quietly. “Most of them are, that is.”

“I’ve never read a single bad one,” Ninomiya replied. “Just a few that scared me. Or that I didn’t understand. But I suppose I was still too little to read them then?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Be careful what you read. You might get scarred for life if you don’t watch out.”

Ninomiya’s smile turned awkward. “I know, big brother...”

Stepping around the desk, he pulled over an empty chair and sat down next to Kimishita, peering over his shoulder. “Oh!” he shouted as soon as he saw the open page. “That scene was one of my favorites! Well, all of them were good, but this one’s so...” He trailed off, searching for a word.

Kimishita smiled.

Strawberries and novels. They did have a few things in common, after all.

\---

“Forget it.”

Kazama and Tsukamoto both looked up at Ooshiba, surprised and disappointed. “Why not?”

“Because!” Ooshiba shouted, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture. “I’m not gonna bribe him with food! Forget it!”

Kazama looked half puzzled, half amused. Tsukamoto’s eyes were still round and pleading. “It’s not bribing, Ooshiba-senpai!” he said. “It could be a nice gesture between friends–”

“We’re not friends,” Ooshiba cut him off. “And like hell I’m giving any food to that jerk-face!”

\---

It was purely a coincidence that Ooshiba ended up at the grocery store later. He’d been meaning to buy some stuff anyway. For himself, of course. Not for anyone else!

It was also a coincidence that he was now standing in front of some delicious cold strawberry snacks and thinking of buying some. For himself. Obviously.

Man, Kimishita would be jealous if he saw him buy those. Ooshiba bet he’d be drooling inwardly and wishing he could have some, but Ooshiba wouldn’t give him any, nope, not a single bite. He’d eat all of them right in front of him and not leave one single bit for him. That sounded good.

So he went ahead and bought them. For himself. And he was only leaving them in his bag and taking them to school tomorrow so he could enjoy them right in front of Kimishita.

Obviously!


	10. Little Bit of Bad Luck

It was also a perfect coincidence that Ooshiba had another tutoring session with Kimishita the next day. He hadn’t thought about that at all when he had bought those snacks; he especially hadn’t bought them _for_ Kimishita, although it was still a nice coincidence since it gave him a perfect chance to enjoy his food right under Kimishita’s nose. Without giving him anything, of course. Although he might play a prank on him and offer him a bite and then quickly pull away and eat everything himself. Like hell he was actually sharing food with that guy! No fun or friendship or admiration was worth getting an indirect kiss from that stupid jerk-wad– wait, why was he thinking about that in the first place?

Either way he was far from unhappy when he stuffed the box of strawberry snacks into an empty pocket of his bag, zipped it close, and forgot all about it until he met Kimishita for their tutoring session the next afternoon.

Kimishita had been busy as all hell today. He had been so busy he’d barely even paid attention to Ooshiba (imagine that!), and he had also been so busy that he’d skipped lunch, and it was showing. A stressed-out, busy Kimishita wasn’t exactly the nicest Kimishita to begin with, but a stressed-out, busy, _hungry_ Kimishita looked like was searching for the best victim to kill. Perfect. Now Ooshiba could get a maximum effect out of those snacks. Meaning the most envy and annoyance, of course. He wasn’t about to try and cheer Kimishita up with food.

“Why am I doing this again,” Kimishita grumbled, adjusting his glasses. “First the test, then that group project I had to finish _for you_ because you didn’t do your fucking job as usual, then that unplanned fucking question time with the fucking first-years, and now this... What am I, everyone’s nanny?” He clicked his tongue. “You better not give me any more trouble today, got it?”

Ooshiba huffed in annoyance. “Chill, Nanny. Not my fault you’re so stressed.”

“Not your fault my ass! Who told me he’d do his part of the project and then completely forgot until two hours before the deadline, huh?” Kimishita gave him the death glare to end all death glares. “And where were you when the brats started swarming me with questions? I didn’t even get to eat, do you know that, you lazy ass?”

_Now!_ Ooshiba gave a smug smile, glancing in the direction of his bag. “I still got food,” he said.

Kimishita perked up at the word, but he quickly went back to glaring. “So?”

“Interested?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue in fury. “Of course not,” his mouth said, but his expression said yes.

Grinning, Ooshiba opened the pocket of his bag, ready to pull out and proudly present his strawberry snacks. And froze.

Saying the pocket looked like an utter mess was an understatement. It looked like a sticky, warm, pinkish explosion of cream, sugar, bits of soaked cookie, half-dissolved wrapping paper, and the sad, crumpled remains of a plastic wrapper. The whole fabric of the pocket was soaked and sticky. The sweet scent of fake strawberries hung heavy in the air, creeping into everything until Ooshiba felt like his very brain had turned into one big mushy strawberry.

This... was not part of the plan.

Next to him Kimishita was gaping at the mess, a disbelieving scowl starting to form on his face. “What... the fuck is this?”

Ooshiba looked at Kimishita, then at his bag and back at Kimishita. “Uh... food.” He scratched his head. “It was food. Yesterday.”

Kimishita sighed through clenched teeth. “You put it in there yesterday?”

“...yeah.” Ooshiba crossed his arms with a spiteful pout. “So what?”

“Did this food, by any chance...” Kimishita drummed his fingers on the desk, his face distorting into a murderous grimace, “...need to be _refrigerated_ , you complete and utter imbecile?”

Ooshiba frowned. Did it? He wasn’t sure... Where had he found those snacks at the store again? Hadn’t they been... at the dairy section or something? Oh right... dairy section. With the other stuff that needed to be refrigerated.

Oops.

“Um...” Ooshiba turned away, running a sheepish hand through his hair. “Uh, probably... I guess.”

“I knew it!” Kimishita clicked his tongue, cracking his knuckles and gritting his teeth in open rage. “And still you kept it in your bag all day? In your warm bag? Are you an idiot? Every three-year-old would have known it would melt, you useless brat!”

Ooshiba swallowed hard. Crap, this hadn’t been part of the plan. What now? He had wanted Kimishita to get angry, but not like this! He’d wanted him to be envious, not furious because Ooshiba had made a mistake! Kimishita was going to kill him for wasting food and making a mess. So much for showing off and looking cool!

“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled, more defensive than angry. “I forgot about it! Everybody forgets stuff! Who you calling useless, you stuck-up prick?”

“You’re useless, you overgrown man-child!” Kimishita looked like he wanted to say more, but he gritted his teeth, let out a slow, long-suffering sigh, and reached into his own bag, pulling out tissues and his water bottle. “Why am I doing this,” he muttered under his breath. “What a waste of time...”

Ooshiba blinked down at him in surprise. What was this guy doing?

Without sparing him a glance, Kimishita poured water on the tissues, grabbed Ooshiba’s bag, and started wiping the inside of the messed-up pocket.

“Hey,” Ooshiba said, still puzzled, “what are you–”

“What does it look like?” Kimishita cut him off. “I’m cleaning up the mess you made, you idiot! You can’t keep going around with your bag like this!”

“I can do this myself, jerk-face! I never asked for your help!”

“I’d like to see you try!”

Ooshiba huffed and tried to grab the tissues. “Gimme.”

“No.”

“Gimme!”

“Forget it!” Wrestling the box of tissues from Ooshiba’s hands, Kimishita stood up and marched to the opposite side of the room. “You’d just do it wrong and end up making an even bigger mess! Wouldn’t be the first time!”

Ooshiba jumped to his feet. “Asshole–”

The door slammed open.

They both whipped around and found themselves face to face with a very angry teacher.

“Will you shut up!” she shouted at them. “We can hear your voices through half the building! Either cut this racket right now or go home, some people are still trying to work here!”

The door slammed shut again before either of them could answer.

Kimishita smirked where he sat on the windowsill. “Serves you right.”

Ooshiba said nothing. He simply sat back down, wrapped his arms around his knees and sulked while Kimishita finished cleaning his bag, which had been filled with food he had wanted to eat in front of him... and offer to him, fine, he admitted it. And instead of looking cool, he had somehow managed to make everything backfire spectacularly and affirm Kimishita in his stupid opinion that he was nothing but a childish idiot.

It was getting on his last nerve!

Why was this guy always, always getting the upper hand? In everything! No matter what Ooshiba did, why was it that Kimishita always came out on top, ahead of him and scoffing at him and calling him an idiot for the twenty-millionth time?

He wanted to _win,_ dammit! He wanted Kimishita to grumble and admit his loss and get off that high horse! Just one time! Was that too much to ask? Of course not, and yet here he was–

“Are you listening, idiot?”

Ooshiba jumped back to reality. Standing in front of him was Kimishita, scowling at him and waving a hand in front of his face. “I said,” he repeated impatiently, “your bag should be more or less clean now. At least it doesn’t look like a pack of strawberry yoghurt exploded in there anymore.”

“I didn’t need your help!” Ooshiba grumbled again, taking the bag from Kimishita’s hand and peering inside. Sure enough, the formerly strawberry-infested pocket looked clean again. It still smelled like an explosion of cheap candy, but at least it wasn’t a sticky, half-liquid, disgusting mess anymore.

Ooshiba wasn’t sure if he could really have done the same thing that fast.

Oh, fine. So maybe Kimishita’s help had been a good thing after all. Not that he’d _needed_ it, really. He was a hero; in due time he could do anything. But if Kimishita was volunteering to do his dirty work for him, he might as well appreciate it.

“Kimishita, uh...” The word lay heavy on his tongue. Blushing, he turned away and glared into the opposite corner of the room, raking a hand through his hair. “Uh... th-thank... you.”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Thank me by studying more, idiot. We’ve lost enough time with this already.”

\---

Once again Kiichi was very quiet throughout the study session, quiet and very sulky. He looked much the same way he did when he lost at Uno at a training camp, or the way he had looked back when they’d played Scrabble and he had thought of an amazingly long, elaborate word and Kimishita had patiently explained to him that it didn’t actually exist. Kimishita wasn’t sure what had made him sulky this time; it wasn’t like they had played any game that Kiichi could have lost at, at least none he’d been aware of. Unless this whole food nonsense had been some sort of game Kimishita didn’t understand.

Food... His stomach gave an angry growl, and it took all of Kimishita’s willpower not to growl at Kiichi himself. Here he was, starving after skipping lunch thanks to Kiichi and his bean-sized brain, and here was that very Kiichi merrily wasting food and ruining his things while he was at it. Stupid, spoiled, useless brat. Did he have any idea how blessed he was with all that money? Being able to buy and eat all the food he wanted... and he chose to waste it like this!

_Give it away,_ Kimishita thought grimly. _If you can’t think of a use for your money, give it to people who actually need it!_

Not himself, of course. Kimishita would never accept that from Kiichi, he still had his pride. Although he definitely wouldn’t say no to Kiichi paying for his food again.

Except that it would probably end in chaos again, just like last time. No could do. One major embarrassment had been enough for the next few years, thank you very much.

Kimishita was still starving when they finished their study session and started packing up, and to top it off, he was in a horrible, horrible mood.

And for a good reason too, he thought. After all, he was _tired_ , he was _hungry_ , and he was _with Kiichi_ , and each one of these individually would have been enough to make him mighty annoyed already. He so couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here and shut out the world for the day. Maybe his old man would let him take a break from minding the shop today if he asked; he did keep telling him not to push himself so hard. Not that Kimishita actually would ask. Duties were duties, and duties had to be done.

Kimishita was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the pair of footsteps walking alongside him until he was way out of the building.

“Hey, idiot,” he growled, turning to glare up at a very unapologetic, pouty Kiichi. “Why are you walking with me?”

Kiichi crossed his arms. “Why are you going where I’m going?”

“Because that’s the only way to the school gate, you genius!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Unless you climb over the fence or learn how to fly!”

“Then learn how to fly, you twat! I thought you could do anything!”

“Anything _physically possible,_ you idiot! People flying is not!”

“Physics are overrated! Just do it!”

“Physics are the reason why you waste of space fucking exist, you imbecile! And even if it was technically possible that doesn’t mean I could do it!”

“Then climb the fence!”

“No!”

“Why not?”

Kimishita stopped walking. “Because _you_ are the one following _me_ around!” he snapped angrily. “Why should I change my path instead of you, huh?”

Stopping in his tracks next to Kimishita, Kiichi whipped around, still pouting. “I’m not following you around!” he shouted back. “You’re following me around! Stop following me!”

“Ah?” Kimishita resisted the ever-growing desire to punch the idiot in the face. “Did you hit your head? How can I be following you when I’m going ahead of you? Try using logic, logic!”

“It’s totally logical.” Kiichi huffed indignantly. “You are following me. In front!”

Kimishita struggled with the urge to slam his head into the nearest hard surface. Not even bothering to reply to such stupidity, he spun around and resumed walking, just as Kiichi did the same next to him.

“Stop following me!” they yelled at each other in sync.

“Ah, Kimishita. Ooshiba. Good timing.”

They both stopped short. Kimishita slowly turned like a toy getting wound up. Standing only a few feet away was none other than Mizuki, an obnoxious amount of steamed buns in his hands.

Mizuki. Of all people.

Well, this was embarrassing.

Kimishita’s face flushed red. What the hell? What was this guy still doing here? Practice had ended an hour ago! Why was he somehow at the school gate, and why at the perfect timing to catch Kimishita and Kiichi bickering like a pair of bratty seven-year-olds?

_Well,_ Kimishita thought, _he’s not much brighter than a seven-year-old himself._ The thought offered little comfort. It gave him all the more reason to hope the captain perceived him as more mature than he had acted just now.

But Mizuki didn’t comment on their quarreling at all. Instead he just picked out one of his steamed buns and held it towards Kimishita. “Here,” he said. “You can have some. Good work today.”

Kimishita’s heart did a leap. Mizuki was offering him food? And praising his work? No way, no way, no way, no way–

“No, thank you!” he grumbled, even as his face flushed red and his stomach gave a disapproving growl at the missed food. “It was normal. I don’t need anyth–”

“Ah, you can have one too, Ooshiba.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Kimishita blinked at them both, feeling very, very stupid.

_What the hell,_ he told himself. _What was that freak-out for, you idiot! Of course it wasn’t just for you, you aren’t special! Will you finally get that into your head?_

Mizuki turned back to him. “Are you sure you don’t want one, Kimishita?”

Ah, damn it all!

“Fine!” he snapped a little too loudly, snatching the steamed bun from Mizuki’s hands and turning away. “Since you insist! ...Thanks, Captain.”

Mizuki simply gave him a thumbs-up. “Nice passes today.”

His heart did another leap. Fantastic.

With that Mizuki turned back and walked off through the school gate, only to be met with another familiar voice from behind the fence. “So, what did you suddenly run off for?”

Kimishita listened for Mizuki’s response and didn’t hear anything. All he heard was Usui’s clear chuckle at whatever nonverbal reply the captain must have given him. “Understandable,” he said. “And all for the better. If you ate all that alone you’d just get a stomachache again.”

“Hey.”

Kimishita turned back to Kiichi. He barely managed to glance up before another steamed bun was shoved into his hands, and seconds later Kiichi was already walking off towards the gate.

“Wha–” he stuttered, annoyed and confused. “What the–”

“It’s for you!” Kiichi shouted back, not slowing his pace. “I’m not hungry! Thank me tomorrow.”

With that he was gone, and Kimishita was left with a steamed bun from Mizuki and another one from Kiichi in his hands. Gazing off into the distance, he gave a quiet sigh and took a bite from the one Mizuki had given him. Kiichi’s could wait until later.

Mizuki’s voice echoed in his mind. _Nice passes today._

Maybe it was a coincidence, but... today, hadn’t most of his successful passes been to Kiichi?

\---

Ninomiya hadn’t visited him in a few days. Kimishita had expected a lot, but not that he’d ever be bothered by this; and yet here he was, counting the days since Ninomiya’s last visit and wondering if this was normal or if something might have happened. _Nonsense,_ he told himself. Ninomiya was probably busy. From what he’d gathered the kid was going to a pretty prestigious school; it wouldn’t be surprising if he was buried in homework and studying and simply didn’t have the time for visits. Yes, that had to be it. It was the most likely reason for Ninomiya’s absence, and all the other reasons that weren’t completely unlikely all sounded very similar.

He knew all that. And yet he couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped him when the door opened and Ninomiya walked in.

“Good afternoon, big brother!” he said, and the store instantly felt a little less empty.

“Where have you been, you brat?” Kimishita grumbled in lieu of a greeting. “You’ve been missing for half the week. That’s rare.” _Since the day before the last study session with Kiichi, to be precise. But I’m not telling you I remember the exact date._

Ninomiya gave a startled yelp and adjusted his glasses. “I’m so sorry, big brother!” he said. “I didn’t mean to go missing for that long, but I’ve been a little busy... School and all, you know? Sorry to make you worry about me!” He bowed.

Kimishita gave him an unwilling click of the tongue and averted his eyes. “I wasn’t worried,” he grumbled. “Just... wondering.” _And I definitely didn’t miss you!_ he added in his head.

Ninomiya wasn’t fooled, because he beamed and ran up to the desk. “I missed you too! I’m sorry I couldn’t come back earlier!”

“I never said I missed you! Don’t get the wrong idea, idiot!”

“Sorry! I won’t say it out loud if it makes you uncomfortable!”

“That’s not the problem here, you stupid brat!”

Kakeru looked away, fidgeting nervously, and Kimishita sighed. He was embarrassed, all right, but he didn’t have it in him to be truly angry at this kid. As much as he hated to admit it, he really had missed him a little. Just a tiny bit. He was growing used to his presence and starting to feel the lack of it, that was all.

“Either way,” Ninomiya said after a moment’s silence, “now I’m back! And... I’m sorry if this is a bother, or if I’m imposing on you, or–”

“What do you want?” Kimishita cut him off.

“Huh? Oh, ah, right! What I want is...” Ninomiya took a deep breath, then he bowed low, nearly knocking his forehead against the edge of the desk.

“Big brother, please teach me how to be tough like you!”


	11. Behind Bright Smiles

Kimishita gaped down at the boy standing in front of him, still bowing low, his forehead a hair’s breadth away from the edge of the desk. “Teach you... to be tough?”

“Yes!” Ninomiya straightened back up so fast that Kimishita wondered how he could do that without getting whiplash. “I m-mean, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, of course, so please don’t feel pressured! It’s just, you’re so tough and cool and I’ve always wanted to be like that but I don’t know how and I thought maybe you could help me a little, you know, give me some advice or tell me how to go about things, not much of course, just a little more to go by... I-It’s just, you’re like a hero to me! And everyone wants to be a bit... like their... heroes... right?”

His voice trailed off, and he looked down at his feet, fumbling with his glasses.

Kimishita continued staring at him, confused. Hero? What? What on earth was this kid babbling on about? Tough? Who was, he? Kimishita didn’t know about that. From his point of view he was just being himself, constantly annoyed with everything and everyone, stressed, depressed, and in dire need of rest.

“You think I’m tough?” he said at last.

“O-Of course!” Ninomiya practically jumped. “You’re the toughest person I know! You’re never scared of anything or anyone!”

“...I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Kimishita grumbled, the image of Usui’s smiling face appearing in his head. Not that he was stupid enough to actually mention him. Every time he brought up Usui the vice-captain would instantly appear right behind him and turn out to have heard every word, and unlikely as it was that this guy would pop up out of nowhere in his own store, Kimishita wasn’t about to tempt fate. “I just find everything irritating.”

“And you show it!” Ninomiya insisted, unfazed. “You always fight back if someone attacks you, and you always have the courage to tell people when you don’t like what they’re doing, without worrying that they might get angry or start hating you... That’s incredible to me!”

Kimishita blinked. He didn’t particularly dislike his neverending annoyance with human stupidity (he thought it was justified enough, although few people seemed to agree), but he had never expected anyone to turn it into a good trait, let alone an admirable one. It wasn’t like he was trying hard to hate everyone, it was simply his natural reaction.

He sighed. “Fine, think what you want. I don’t know how to teach you that though,” he remarked. “This is my nature. I’m not doing it on purpose.”

Ninomiya’s face fell. “So you can’t tell me how to do it either?”

“Of course not! It’s obviously not in your nature, and I can’t tell you how to fake it!” Ninomiya looked downright dejected at this point, and Kimishita clicked his tongue. “And even if I did know,” he added, “I wouldn’t tell you.”

Ninomiya’s eyes went round. “Why not?”

“Because...” Kimishita averted his gaze. “Because I don’t think you should force yourself,” he grumbled, feeling like a calendar with cheesy life advice. “You’re careful and considerate. I don’t think you should tune down those traits when most people need more of them already.”

“...huh?”

“I’m saying you shouldn’t give up the lead you have on most of humanity!” Kimishita scowled and picked up the book he’d been reading. “What kind of idiot would let the others catch up when he’s ahead and winning?”

Silence.

Outside the door a car rushed by. The store radio said something Kimishita didn’t catch and started playing a new song.

Then Kimishita found his hands grabbed by a pair of smaller ones, making him drop his book.

“B-Big brother!” Ninomiya burst out, teary-eyed and sniffling. “You think my personality puts me ahead of others?”

Kimishita nearly fell backwards out of his chair. What the hell was happening? When he’d clearly stated his opinion, he hadn’t expected to find himself with a handful of crying middle schooler! Didn’t he already do enough babysitting on the soccer team?

“Calm down, idiot,” he hissed, hoping nobody would walk in and find them like this. “All I was saying is that you shouldn’t try to get ‘tough’ is all! It would make you significantly more annoying!”

“O-O-Okay!” Ninomiya sniffled again, let go of Kimishita’s hands and wiped his eyes, still smiling. “But... you can at least teach me how to fight back if I need to, right?”

Kimishita picked his book back up, smoothing out the pages that had become crumpled when he’d dropped it. “If you need to fight back, threaten them.”

Ninomiya gaped at him. “...I’m sorry, what?”

“Threaten them,” Kimishita said again without looking up from his book. “Intimidate them. Glare at them. Cracking your knuckles works well too. So does lifting people up by the neck if they overdo it, but don’t use that too much or you’ll get in trouble.” He glanced up, scrutinizing Ninomiya from head to toe, his wide, unassuming eyes, his fluffy hair, nerd glasses, chubby cheeks, and his small, scrawny body that barely looked strong enough to carry the large bag slung over his shoulder. “Although I doubt any of these will work for you.”

Ninomiya slumped in disappointment. “I’m not very threatening, am I?”

“Like I said, there’s nothing saying you have to be!”

“But what if someone’s hurting me? Or laughing at me, or, or...” Ninomiya clenched his fists, almost desperate. “What do I do if I have no choice?”

_Why is he so determined?_ The thought only shot through Kimishita’s head for a moment before he brushed it off. Ninomiya was shy, awkward and insecure. Of course he’d want to know how to defend himself from people who might mock him or hurt him for that. Maybe he’d had bad experiences before, even.

“Try to ignore them,” Kimishita said slowly. “Remember that it’s not because of you, it’s because they’re idiots. If you can’t ignore them, tell them to leave you alone. If that still doesn’t work, punch them.”

Nodding, Ninomiya repeated his advice in a mumble, going over it a few times before his face lit up. “I’ll try that!” he exclaimed at last. “It’s not because of me, it’s not because of me...” He looked strained as he repeated those words, but his eyes were shining with gratitude. “Thank you so much, big brother!”

Kimishita’s face felt warm with embarrassment. “No need to thank me. Calm down instead.”

“Right! Okay! Sure!” Still smiling like he had seen an angel, Ninomiya set down his bag and turned back to face the store, beaming at no one in particular. “I can’t say it enough, you really are incredible...”

“Shut up,” Kimishita grumbled and hid behind his book.

Surprisingly enough, Ninomiya did. Falling silent, he moved away from Kimishita’s desk to look through the aisles, eyeing unfamiliar pieces of equipment with curiosity and quietly noting new arrivals. Kimishita leaned back in his chair with a deep breath. This was nice. It was as quiet as he’d ever hoped, but at the same time there was a sense of life to the small store, a warm, homely presence that hadn’t been here in the past few days. It felt like one of those days when the sun would shine in through the windows on a sleepy afternoon, making the specks of dust catch the light as they floated in the air and gently warming his face as the whole world seemed to go slower for a handful of hours.

He didn’t want to admit it, but... it did feel kind of nice to have Ninomiya around. And yes, fine, he had missed him. A little.

As he continued reading his book and waiting for customers, something slipped into his consciousness, so quiet and soft that he couldn’t tell what it was for a moment. He paused, listening. And then he heard it. A quiet voice, softly humming along to whatever song was playing on the radio, clear and light and soulful.

Kimishita didn’t know the first thing about music, but it was a lovely sound.

Placing down his book, he listened closer, his eyes searching the store for the origin of the voice. It wasn’t hard to tell. After barely a second of searching they came to rest on Ninomiya, who was wandering among the aisles, smiling and happily humming to himself.

“You know that song?” Kimishita asked when Ninomiya fell silent.

Ninomiya almost jumped to the ceiling. “B-Big brother!” he stuttered out, going white as a sheet and then red as a strawberry in rapid succession. “N-No! I m-mean, ye-ye-yes I do, b-but... Y-You heard me?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue at him. “Don’t panic, stupid! What are you so embarrassed about, huh?”

Well, he’d probably be embarrassed himself if he was the one being caught humming, he realized. But unlike Ninomiya he wasn’t a singer.

“I-I, well...” Ninomiya pushed up his glasses and turned even redder. “I’m... not all that good at singing...”

Kimishita gaped at him in total incomprehension.

Then his face turned into a furious scowl.

“Huh?” he growled dangerously. “What was that?”

Ninomiya jolted, startled. “W-What do you mean? I was just stating the facts, so um... why are you so angry?”

_Facts, my ass!_ Kimishita clicked his tongue. “What facts?” he snapped. “The only fact you just stated is that you’re completely delusional!”

Ninomiya blinked. He stared at him for a good minute, wide-eyed, trying to process his words as Kimishita’s face started feeling warmer and warmer.

Then it clicked, and he flushed red in a split second.

“E-E-Eh?” he stammered, stumbling back and almost tripping over himself and crashing into the shelves. “D-Did you just... c-c-c- _compliment_... my singing...?”

“You don’t say!” Kimishita scoffed, ignoring the burning embarrassment trying to take hold of him. “As I told you, don’t play down your strengths when you have them, you imbecile!”

Ninomiya’s eyes lit up. A big, wobbly, happy smile spread all over his face, brighter than anything Kimishita had ever seen. He opened his mouth and closed it, trying to say something, but no words would came out. With a small happy noise he turned around and buried his face in the nearest shelf full of soccer cleats.

Kimishita couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this embarrassed. “Calm down, idiot!” he hissed. “What if someone walks in and sees you like this?”

“Sorry,” Ninomiya squeaked without turning back around. “I’m so happy... and embarrassed... and very happy! You really are too kind, big brother...”

Kimishita clicked his tongue and left him be. Embarrassing. Were all children as embarrassing as Ninomiya? Embarrassing, overemotional and annoying. He’d never been good with people like that.

But the worst part was that, for whatever reason, he was feeling pretty happy himself.

Ninomiya had to be wearing off on him. Either that, or a certain brand of embarrassed happiness was simply very contagious, contagious enough to make him feel warm and fuzzy and very stupid for that. Oh well, Ninomiya was a good kid. There was worse than being happy because he was happy.

And there was worse than talking to this brat, too. Even if every second remark still resulted in shiny eyes, blushes, stuttering, or happy tears.

“You taking singing classes?” Kimishita asked casually, hoping that a little conversation would distract Ninomiya from his happy meltdown. “Or are you in the music club or something?”

Ninomiya finally moved away from the shelf and turned back to Kimishita. “No, neither,” he admitted, “but I play the piano and the violin! And I was in my elementary school’s music club too...”

“And now?” Kimishita asked.

Ninomiya’s eyes clouded over for just the tiniest fragment of a second.

“I didn’t join any clubs,” he said with a smile. “I thought the middle school life would be stressful enough without extra duties... I still play music and sing, but it’s mostly for myself these days. It’s better when I can do it at my own pace, you know?”

Kimishita nodded, frowning. He perfectly understood that argument, and yet, as he listened to Ninomiya humming along to the next song, he couldn’t help thinking what an enormous waste of talent that had to be.

\---

Ooshiba got up from where he’d been sitting on the bench, trying to balance the ball on his head and failing. He let it drop into his hands, tossing it up, then picking it up with his foot when it fell down as he turned around to greet Kakeru.

It had been some time. He hadn’t seen Kakeru since he’d turned up all red-eyed almost a week ago and then run off when Ooshiba asked him about it. He had tried to contact him again, asking when they’d meet up again, but Kakeru had been putting it off, saying he was busy. Ooshiba had been this close to getting annoyed, but now that the boy was back again at last, he found he didn’t really mind anymore.

He looked at him closely. Compared to last time, Kakeru looked a lot better. His eyes were neither red nor swollen; his hair was fluffed up but not messy, and his uniform was as neat as always, if not more. In fact, it looked almost a little too neat. It looked as if he had only adjusted it a moment ago, but knowing Kakeru, Ooshiba wouldn’t put that past him. Showing up looking all messy and embarrassing once must have been enough for the kid.

“‘Sup,” he said casually as Kakeru came to stop in front of him.

Kakeru smiled. “Good afternoon, Kiichi-san!” he said, cheerful as ever. “I’m sorry it’s been a while, these past few days have been very busy... Ah, but I think I’m mostly free now so I’ll definitely have time again as soon as you want!” He fiddled with his glasses. “If you’ll still have me, of course...”

“Sure,” Ooshiba said easily, a smug smile crossing his face. “Everyone gets busy. That’s part of becoming an adult.”

_As if you’ve ever been busy with anything, you lazy procrastinating ass,_ Kimishita’s voice said in his head. Ooshiba scowled at it and shook it off. What was that jerk-face doing in his brain, popping up and ruining his mood like that? He was definitely getting too cocky. Ooshiba should punch him the next time he saw his ugly mug.

Okay, fine, Kimishita wasn’t _ugly,_ exactly. But he definitely wasn’t pretty either, and especially not handsome or attractive or some other stupid thing. _Okay-looking,_ maybe. Not half as cute as Kakeru though, and definitely not as gorgeous as Ooshiba.

...Why the hell was he still thinking about that guy?! This had to be Kimishita’s fault! That bastard had done something to him, hadn’t he? Ooshiba wouldn’t put it past him to hypnotize people or something. After all, there was nothing Kimishita couldn’t do if he wanted to.

Which didn’t mean Ooshiba couldn’t beat him. He was still in the middle of beating him at soccer. And right now he was so up to beat him at being the coolest big brother figure ever.

“An adult,” Kakeru repeated slowly, then his eyes shone. “Of course! That comes with growing up, doesn’t it... That means I don’t have to apologize because it’s natural, right? Being too busy and all that...”

Ooshiba nodded. “Exactly. You’re a smart one, Kakeru.”

“W-Well, I’m trying...” Kakeru’s cheeks turned a little pink. “But I’m nowhere as mature or adult-like as you, Kiichi-san! Are you sure I’ll be like you and my brother when I’m your age?”

“You’ll totally be like your bro. Just nicer,” Ooshiba affirmed. “And less annoying.”

Kakeru smiled gratefully, and Ooshiba smirked back. It was moments like this that he really wished his parents had given him a younger sibling instead of selfishly deciding that two children were enough. If this was what being a cool big brother figure was like, he wanted more of it.

“You’re gonna be better at soccer too,” he added, meaning every word. “If you work hard you’re gonna beat him in a couple years. Let’s go!”

With that he kicked the ball towards Kakeru, who stopped it clumsily with his foot and sent it rolling back. They passed it back and forth, chasing the ball whenever it went astray, aiming for their makeshift goal and missing several times and scoring twice. They almost got it stuck in a tree once and almost knocked a toddler off the slide another time, but they kept going, and after a few minutes everything felt like last week’s blunder had never happened at all.

“Oh hey, you know that kid over there? He’s wearing a uniform from our school, isn’t he?”

They both stopped in their tracks, turning around. Standing at the playground entrance a little way off were two middle schoolers, around Kakeru’s age, wearing the same uniforms as him, but significantly less neatly.

“Idiot,” one of them said to the other. “That’s Ninomiya from my class! You’ve seen him before, right? You know, the kid I told you about who–”

The second one gave him a nudge to the ribs. “I know it’s Ninomiya _now_ , dude! You think I can recognize everybody in our grade from behind?” He looked over at Ooshiba. “But who’s that guy with him? He looks like a high schooler.”

“I _am_ a high schooler,” Ooshiba declared, and they jumped, startled. “My name is Ooshiba Kiichi! Ace of Seiseki High School’s soccer team and–”

“Never heard of it,” the first one said.

“Oh, I know Seiseki,” the second one answered, frowning in thought. “My big sis goes there... I think she told me something about a soccer team, but wasn’t their ace called Mizuki or something?”

Ooshiba deflated.

His disappointment lasted only a second before it was replaced by spite and anger at their ignorance. Giving a furious huff, he marched up to them, crossing his arms. “Your sis is wrong,” he declared in a tone that allowed no protests. “Captain’s no longer the ace! I’m the ace, so remember the name Ooshiba Kiichi! You’re gonna be proud you talked to him someday!” He grinned again and struck a pose.

“Lame,” they both whispered in unison.

Ooshiba stopped grinning. “Why you little shits–”

“Are you like, friends with Ninomiya or something?” Kakeru’s classmate asked, cutting him off. “We’ve never really seen him with anyone, so...”

Ooshiba turned around. Kakeru was white as a sheet. He was standing half hidden behind him, trying to disappear from the boys’ line of sight, his hands trembling like a dry pair of leaves in the wind. He flinched at his classmate’s comment, a look of distress manifesting on his face, his eyes and mouth tight with pain.

Ooshiba didn’t hesitate. Reaching around, he wrapped an arm around Kakeru’s shoulders and pulled him to his side. “Sure!” he replied proudly. “Kakeru’s my friend! And a talented soccer player, you’re gonna see him on the big screens someday!”

Kakeru shrank back against him, mumbling something about having no such goals. The boys from his school eyed them skeptically. “You play soccer, Ninomiya?” his classmate’s friend asked. “I didn’t think sports were your thing.”

Kakeru jolted and looked down at his feet, his trembling hands closing around the sides of his glasses, unable to move them an inch. “I...” he mumbled weakly. “He’s probably... exaggerating a little, but... it’s fun, so, well...”

“Alright.” His classmate grinned cheerfully, turning away, followed by his companion. “Be careful, then! Try not to trip over the ball, Ninomiya.”

The two left, snickering. “He’s not gonna!” Ooshiba yelled after them, but they didn’t respond.

“Stuck-up little shits,” he huffed angrily. “They’re gonna remember our names! Those guys your friends?”

Kakeru shook his head, still not looking up. “Only a classmate and someone from my grade,” he muttered. “I... They’re probably nice people, but I don’t have much to do with them, so...”

“Good! They’re too ignorant to be your friends.” Ooshiba gave a satisfied huff and started returning to the ball, which had rolled off under a tree. “I’m a way better friend! Wanna play some more?”

Ninomiya didn’t budge. He tried to smooth out his hair, adjusted his glasses, and looked up at him with a shaky smile.

“I’m sorry, Kiichi-san. But I’m feeling a little tired... Do you mind if we call it a day?” His smile widened. “We can definitely do this again some other day though! It was a lot of fun again, after all! Okay?”

“Hey.”

Kakeru paused.

Ooshiba walked back to him, looking straight into his eyes. “You okay?”

Kakeru held his gaze for a long moment, and Ooshiba thought he saw him swallow. Then he smiled again.

“I’m perfectly fine, Kiichi-san! The break just made me realize how exhausted I am, that’s all...” He beamed, but his eyes didn’t shine. “Thanks for your concern!”

Ooshiba wanted to headbutt him and force all answers out of him. But he didn’t. He remembered how trying to question Kakeru had gone last time.

Still, as he watched the boy leave with suspiciously heavy shoulders, he knew he had to do something. Kakeru clearly wasn’t as okay as he pretended to be. Something was wrong, and he couldn’t stand not knowing what it was.

So he would ask. Not Kakeru. But someone else. Someone who was also close to him, someone who might have an idea...

After all, was there anything that bastard didn’t know?


	12. Mission: Hopefully Not Impossible

Ooshiba had been acting weird all day.

The first thing his teammates had noticed was that he had come to morning practice early, looking uncharacteristically tense. That alone was enough to catch Usui’s attention; Ooshiba was never early, most of the time he was late, and even if he did make it on time it was usually such a close call that most people would qualify it as “pretty much late.” Seeing him show up over ten minutes early was a telltale sign that something was going on.

Ooshiba walked in through the locker room door and looked around, taking in his surroundings as if he was looking for someone. Then he gave a small frustrated huff, crossed his arms, and stood right next to the door, peering outside and watching it like a bodyguard.

Usui raised a curious eyebrow. He had a pretty good notion of who Ooshiba might be waiting for, but he wanted to see for himself. Already done changing into his jersey and tying his cleats, he sat down on the bench, pretending to look through his phone as he watched his underclassman from the corner of his eye.

He didn’t have to wait long. Only a few minutes later Kimishita walked into the room, looking as grumpy as usual.

Ooshiba’s expression changed. His stance shifted, his face tensing up with determination as he moved to stand in Kimishita’s way, opening his mouth to say something.

Right at that moment someone knocked into Kimishita from behind, slamming him face-first into Ooshiba’s chest.

Ooshiba blinked, the gears in his brain turning as he processed the situation. Then his face flushed bright red. Kimishita looked up at him, then at the others, slowly realized that the whole team was staring at them, and turned rather pink himself. Usui regretted that Kazama wasn’t there yet to whistle at them or take pictures. He’d do it himself, but sadly there were too many people in the way, spoiling the view from his angle.

The image lasted for only a moment. Then Kimishita clicked his tongue, stepped away from Ooshiba with a curse, and whipped around to glower at whoever had knocked into him with a furious scowl. “Who the fuck was that, huh? Confess now so I’ll make your death quick and painless!”

Usui craned his neck to see who he was talking to, but there was no need. Kurusu’s panicked shriek resounded through the entire locker room. “I’m v-v-very sorry, Kimishita-senpai!” he yelped. “It was Nitobe’s fault! He pushed me!”

“Say what?” Nitobe shouted back. “I never pushed you, you liar!”

“Liar yourself! You totally did, I saw it!”

“How could you see it if I was behind you?”

“ _Shut! Up!_ ”

They both yelped and fell silent at Kimishita’s furious voice. “You’re too loud, you imbeciles!” he growled, cracking his knuckles. “If you won’t admit who did it I’ll just kill you both!”

Oh dear. They could have at least tried to behave themselves so early in the morning. But then again, they wouldn’t be Team Seiseki if they had.

Giving a small sigh, Usui got up and made his way over to the whole group, placing his hand on Kimishita’s shoulder. “Now, now,” he said, smiling. “Don’t kill the first-years, Kimishita. We still need them on the pitch.”

Kimishita jumped like a startled cat and recoiled, instinctively backing away from Usui’s innocently smiling presence. “Y-Yes... I’m sorry, Usui-senpai.”

“And you two,” Usui continued in the same friendly tone, turning to the frightened first-years, “be a little more careful in the future. No more pushing or knocking into people, all right?”

They nodded hurriedly. Usui gave them an acknowledging glance and returned to his bench, sitting back down and watching as Kimishita stormed to the next free spot on one of the benches and started changing, the two first-years bustled inside, and Kazama came waltzing in after them, asking what he’d missed. Ooshiba stayed in his spot at the door for a moment longer, looking sulky and mildly frustrated, then he started walking towards Kimishita, realized that there was no room to sit next to him, and furiously plopped down on the other bench to start changing.

If the others thought that was the only strange thing for the day, they were proven wrong no more than a moment later.

Barely had the whole team assembled on the pitch and started running laps when Ooshiba started running in pursuit of Kimishita, who was a good way ahead, happily oblivious for the time being. Ooshiba set his jaw and sped up his pace, sprinting to try and catch up with Kimishita’s speedy, light-footed run, shoving aside people who didn’t jump out of the way in time. He was visibly pushing himself. His breath came in puffs and gasps as he ran, and yet he didn’t seem to care, his eyes firmly locked on Kimishita’s back as it slowly drew closer and closer.

Almost there–

He made a giant leap, yelled at the first-years to get out of the way, stepped on his shoelaces, and tripped.

Everything happened very fast. Ooshiba fell forward. In a feeble attempt to catch himself, he reached out and grabbed Shiratori’s arm, yanking him down with him. Shiratori tried to free himself and knocked into Nakijin, who stumbled into Nitobe and Kurusu running in front of him, just as Ooshiba crashed into Tsukamoto from behind and buried him underneath him.

The next thing everyone remembered was Kazama laughing at the merry heap of first-years and one second-year lying piled up on the ground. The first-years collectively gave him a glare, yelling at him for magically dodging in time as they started to peel themselves off each other and Kazama knelt down to help Tsukamoto up. Ooshiba sat up and tied his shoelaces with a grumble and a furious pout, clearly wondering how they’d managed to become untied in the first place.

Kimishita, who had been only a few feet ahead of the whole chain reaction, kept running without even glancing back or changing his pace.

Saying that Ooshiba was in a horrible mood after that was an understatement. He was furious and frustrated, even more irritable than usual, stomping around like a toddler during a temper tantrum and nearly punching Satou in the face for a well-meaning remark. And still he wouldn’t stop trying to approach Kimishita. He tried to pair up with him for passing exercises, but Suzuki beat him to it. He tried to help him carry equipment back to the club room, but his share wasn’t enough for two people to carry, and Mizuki asked him for help instead. He tried to wait for him when they left the locker room after practice, but Kimishita started talking to Haibara and left for the classrooms with him, and Ooshiba ended up stomping after them by himself.

By this time the entire team (except, naturally, Kimishita himself) had caught on that something was happening and started to watch the story unfold with growing curiosity.

“Hey,” Kazama said as soon as Ooshiba had exited the locker room and slammed the door behind him, “is it just me, or is Kiichiman acting kinda weird?”

It was a very Kazama-like understatement.

“Kinda weird?” Hayase repeated incredulously. “He’s acting like a grade schooler with a crush! More than he already does, anyway.”

The others sighed and nodded. Usui smiled knowingly to himself.

Tsukamoto’s eyes went round. His cheeks flushed pinker than they usually did. “D-Do you, um...” He lowered his voice, but he couldn’t contain the excitement in it. “Do you think he’s finally trying to ask Kimishita-senpai out?”

The entire locker room fell silent in mere seconds. Dozens of eyes stared in Tsukamoto’s direction.

Tsukamoto went red and shrank back, tugging at the hem of his shirt. “Sh-Should I... not have... said... that?”

Before someone else could figure out what to say, Kazama grinned from ear to ear, winked, and looped an arm around Tsukamoto’s shoulders, pulling him in. “Don’t worry, Tsukushi,” he said. “You’re probably right, dude! Just try not to let Kiichiman hear that.”

\---

If Ooshiba had noticed the entire team spying on him, he sure didn’t let it show. He didn’t react to Satou watching him in class, ready to bring out his phone and text Suzuki to watch Kimishita’s reaction of he should start texting in class. He didn’t react to Haibara and Inohara lurking around corners and unsubtly trying to chase off people in the hallways as soon as he started approaching Kimishita. He didn’t even react to the first-years lining up behind him in the cafeteria only to let Kimishita pass before them and then make loud noises of frustration when Ooshiba didn’t notice who was standing behind him in line. He was still laser-focused on trying to talk to Kimishita, but no matter how much the others tried to set them up, things kept getting in his way over and over and over again.

Usui was seriously debating to let Ooshiba and Kimishita’s classmates and teachers in on the secret, just to stop them from getting in the way all the time, but in the end he decided against it. No need to out the hopeless second-years in front of the few lucky people who hadn’t yet caught on. Still, it _was_ frustrating, watching Ooshiba blunder and try to get Kimishita’s attention only to keep failing over and over and over again. Honestly, he couldn’t tell what was more frustrating, Ooshiba’s helpless attempts or the fact that Kimishita was still completely and utterly oblivious.

His only comfort was in knowing that those two had another tutoring session scheduled for this afternoon. It was the perfect opportunity; they’d be alone together, no one else would be around, and Kimishita’s attention had to be focused on Ooshiba for once. If there was anything Ooshiba wanted to talk to Kimishita about, waiting until their tutoring lesson was the way to go.

Well, he did have to admit he was a bit worried. What if something went wrong and the two of them were all alone? And besides... if Tsukamoto was right and Ooshiba really was planning to confess, he wouldn’t want to miss that for the world.

And he was sure he wasn’t the only one there.

\---

Hayase glanced up and down the hallway, snuck up to the classroom door, and peeked in through the keyhole. After a moment of peering he seemed satisfied, stood up, and turned back towards the hallway.

“All clear!” he mouthed.

That was all it took. Barely a second later an entire procession of soccer players came tip-toeing out from behind lockers and doorframes, sneaking over to crowd around Hayase, pressing their ears to the door. There was jostling and shuffling, whispered discussions over who got to peek through the keyhole and who got to press his ear directly to the door and who was standing on whose feet, but everyone froze in an instant when Ooshiba’s voice cut through their whispers, loud and stubborn. “Hey.”

They all perked up their ears, listening intently.

“What?” Kimishita replied, his voice sharp and impatient. “What’s your stupid idea this time? Did you melt snacks in your bag again?”

Kazama snorted and pressed both hands over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Ooshiba sounded a lot less amused. “Shut the fuck up!” he huffed, then he paused. His voice was tense when he continued. “I just wanna ask you a question, asshole.”

Everyone held their breaths. Even Kazama stopped laughing, mouthing an “oooh” as he pressed closer to the door. Tsukamoto blushed, looking torn between listening and running off to give them their privacy.

“Do you know what’s wrong with Kakeru?”

Complete silence.

Nobody moved. Then, slowly, everyone turned around, staring at each other with disbelieving eyes, wondering if everybody else had heard the same thing. Nitobe almost gave a loud gasp, but Usui covered his mouth just in time. Kazama was sporting his best incredulous is-this-really-happening grin. Hayase and Kokubo were exchanging shocked faces.

“What?” Haibara whispered, pointing at the door. “Don’t tell me that’s your big question, Shiba!”

“Shh!” Inohara whispered back with a finger on his lips. “They’ll hear us!”

Haibara pulled at his own hair. “But this is so dumb!” he whispered, more quietly this time. “With the way Shiba was acting I thought he was gonna confess for sure!”

“Well,” Kazama whispered back, “this _is_ Kiichiman we’re talking ‘bout...”

Usui didn’t say anything. He simply sighed, peering over his shoulder to exchange a disappointed glance with Mizuki.

Mizuki blinked back at him, less disappointed than perfectly confused. “Why is everyone so disappointed?” he whispered, tilting his head. “Ooshiba asked Kimishita a question, just like he said he would.”

\---

“Do you know what’s wrong with Kakeru?”

Kimishita blinked with surprise, taken off guard by the question. “Ninomiya?”

That came out of left field. Of all the things he had expected Kiichi to bring up here and now, Ninomiya Kakeru was definitely among the last. And why such a specific question? Why was he suggesting there was something wrong with Ninomiya?

“Yup, Kakeru.” Kiichi nodded seriously, his expression oddly determined. “Something’s not okay with him. Do you know what’s wrong?”

Kimishita frowned with growing confusion. Not okay? Ninomiya? What on earth was Kiichi talking about?

“Wrong?” he repeated, half confused, half irritated. “I know something’s wrong, and I strongly suspect it’s your head, idiot! What gives you the idea that there’s a problem with Ninomiya?”

“My head’s just fine!” Kiichi stomped his foot, pouting like a furious child trying to make his laughing parents believe that there really was a three-headed dragon hiding in his room and trying to eat him. “Something’s wrong with your head, asshole! Kakeru’s totally hiding something and you didn’t even notice, you heartless jerk-face!”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Notice _what?_ ” he snapped, rapidly losing what patience he had left in him. “How about you try to explain what you’re talking about instead of throwing pointless accusations, huh?”

“They’re not pointless! I thought you knew but you don’t give a shit about him!”

Kimishita gritted his teeth. “What ever gave you the idea that I don’t care about Ninomiya, you imbecile?”

“You call him Ninomiya!” Kiichi replied smugly, as if this cemented whatever stupid point he was trying to make. “You call your little bro by his last name, who does that?”

Kimishita pressed his fingers against his temples to fight back the growing headache. “How many more times must I tell you that he’s not my brother,” he growled. “Any other reason why I should call him by his first name? You know I hate doing that!”

“You call me by my first name just fine!”

Kimishita blushed. “You’re different, and even with you it still took me– That’s irrelevant!” he cut himself off, glaring up at Kiichi again. “Stop dwelling on that stupid topic and get to the fucking point!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“Do you want to know what’s wrong with Ninomiya or not?” Kimishita gave an exasperated sigh. “If you came to me with that, then see it through to the end and tell me what’s been going through your big stupid empty head already!”

Kiichi opened his mouth to fire another insult, then quickly closed it again, huffed and plopped down on the nearest desk, crossing his arms. “Fine. I’m gonna generously share my knowledge since you’re too stupid to notice stuff on your own, _Kimishita-kun._ ”

“Just get on with it before I change my mind and kick you out the fucking window.”

For a split second Kimishita could have sworn he heard Kazama’s voice, whispering something very akin to “Sounds nicer out of context.” He shook it off. Was he getting paranoid?

Kiichi made a face, but he didn’t respond to the taunt for a change. Instead he frowned, locking gazes with Kimishita, his eyes clouding over as he spoke.

“I’ve been hanging out with Kakeru,” he admitted. “Playing soccer and stuff. He’s kinda good. Might end up better than you.”

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “I told you to stay away from him,” he snapped pointedly. “And in what way is that relevant to the story?”

“Let me get there!” Kiichi huffed, then a taunting smirk crossed his face. “Learn some patience. You’re too greedy, Kimishita.”

“ _You...!!_ ”

“So we’ve been playing soccer,” Kiichi continued, his smug smile fading as he replayed the memories, “and one day Kakeru shows up with his eyes all red. Like wet and swollen and shit. Like he’s been crying. His clothes messed up and wet, too. I ask him what’s wrong and he tells me it’s just allergies.”

Kimishita frowned. “That might actually have been the truth,” he remarked. “Do you think he was lying?”

“I know!” Kiichi burst out, slamming his fist on the desk he sat on and creating a loud bang that made Kimishita jump. “He was weird as fuck that day so I asked him what he was crying about and he didn’t tell me, he just smiled all fake and said it was nothing to worry about! How’s that?”

Well... admittedly that did sound a little worrying. But it still seemed like Kiichi was exaggerating.

“That was one day,” Kimishita replied. “Everyone has a bad day, and we know how easily Ninomiya cries. Just because he went to met you crying once doesn’t mean there’s something wrong, idiot.”

Kiichi shook his head. “It’s not just once! After that day he disappeared for ages and kept telling me he was busy. And then he came back yesterday acting awkward as shit. And just when he starts looking normal these dudes from his school show up and talk to us and are disrespectful little bastards who don’t know I’m Seiseki’s ace–” Kimishita snorted at that, but thankfully Kiichi ignored him– “and they kinda scare the living shit outta Kakeru. They don’t insult him or threaten him or anything and he goes white as a ghost and leaves after they leave ‘cause he doesn’t feel like playing soccer anymore.” His frown deepened. “Weird, huh?”

Kimishita closed his eyes. “Maybe their presence just reminded him of how stupid you are compared to normal people, and that’s why he left.”

“No! He was scared! They scared him!” Kiichi reached out and grabbed Kimishita’s shoulders, jumping off the desk to knock their heads together. “And I wanna know why.”

Kimishita said nothing. He simply looked up into Kiichi’s eyes, an odd feeling twirling in his chest. Kiichi’s expression was different from the stuck-up, pompous idiot he usually saw. His eyes were dark with concern, his jaw set with a determination Kimishita had never seen on him outside of matches. But there was more, another feeling that Kimishita couldn’t quite put a finger on. Was it... worry? Was Kiichi worried? About Ninomiya?

Kimishita still didn’t understand why. Sure, this story did sound concerning, but he wouldn’t take all of it at face value. This was still Kiichi, and Kiichi was as prone to exaggerations as the next moron. Maybe something had set him off, and he had started over-interpreting little things that were usually not worthy of concern. And he hadn’t seen Ninomiya act strange in any way.

“You’re exaggerating,” he said quietly, poking a finger against Kiichi’s forehead. “If something really was wrong with Ninomiya, I’d have noticed already. You’re reading too much into things is all.”

Kiichi’s eyes widened. “I’m not–”

“If you insist, I can keep a closer eye on Ninomiya and see if there’s anything wrong,” Kimishita cut him off, turning away and motioning him back to their chairs. “Now shut up. We’ve already wasted enough of this study session.”

They sat down, but neither of them could focus properly. Kiichi was still sulking at not being taken seriously, his eyes dark and worried. Kimishita wasn’t sure what to do. A seriously worried Kiichi was a completely new experience, and he honestly couldn’t tell what to think of it. On one hand it was annoying, constantly telling him to focus and only getting a sulky grumble back. On the other hand...

On the other hand, he couldn’t say he disliked the Kiichi who had taken Ninomiya under his wing and worried about him. A Kiichi who cared so much about another person actually made him kind of... happy.

By the time they went home, Kimishita was still thinking about their conversation, turning it round and round in his head. For some reason he was starting to have doubts. Memories flickered back through his mind, little things he hadn’t paid attention to before. Ninomiya’s disappearance for several days, only to claim he had been busy when he returned. The day Ninomiya came into the store later than usual and didn’t tell him why. The time he had mentioned not being part of the music club anymore and his eyes had clouded over with something slightly larger than nostalgia and regret.

Was he starting to overanalyze things himself now that he had heard Kiichi’s story? Or...

Could Kiichi have been right after all?


	13. Guessing Game

_Keep an eye on Ninomiya._

Kimishita wasn’t sure why exactly he had agreed to that. Now that he had left for home, dropped by the convenience store on the way to catch a special discount, and taken up his usual place at the store, Kiichi’s worries seemed ridiculous once more. Ninomiya was fine; he was sure there was a perfectly normal explanation for his occasional strange behavior that didn’t warrant Kiichi walking up to him like he was about to ask a life-changing question. There was nothing to worry about.

He took out his homework for the next day, started scribbling and hoped nobody would walk in anytime soon.

Of course his wish wasn’t granted. He had barely been sitting there five minutes when the door opened, a bright, familiar voice greeting him as he put his pencil aside with an unsurprised sigh.

“Good afternoon, big brother!”

Honestly, he would have been surprised if the kid hadn’t turned up. Surprised and a little... disappointed, maybe.

“You again,” he said casually, continuing to do his homework. “Any more visits and you might as well move in.”

Ninomiya wasn’t fazed by the deadpan remark. “Actually, this has become a second home to me already, big brother! It’s such a nice place, I wonder why people don’t come here more often... Ah, but if they did come here more often it wouldn’t be so nice and quiet anymore... But I think I could grow to like any place as long as you’re in it, big brother!”

Kimishita bent lower over his homework, letting his hair fall into his face and hide his expression. Was that brat really going this far? Embarrassing. Who would be stupid enough to like a place just because one single person was there? Only an idiot or a lost child would go this far.

And yet he agreed with everything else Ninomiya had said. He loved this place too, even if it was a bit run-down and the reason why he and his father were almost constantly broke. He liked how quiet it was, and even if he wished more customers would show up and buy things sometimes, he wouldn’t want this little shop to get crowded and busy. The way it was now... it was home. And somehow, knowing that Ninomiya felt the same way about it made it feel even more like home.

Ninomiya stood in the middle of the store and looked around, searching. “Is there any way I can help out here?”

Kimishita looked around in search of a task. Lately Ninomiya had been helping around the store more and more often; at this point he had to be careful not to have him be mistaken for an employee and need to ward off the accusations of child labor. Still, his presence was a relief; he was getting more reliable every day, and honestly it was a decent-sized burden off Kimishita’s shoulders, knowing he didn’t have to juggle everything alone anymore.

“There’s a handful of new arrivals in the storage room,” he said, motioning towards the back of the store. “You can put those on the shelves... and remove the price tags from the empty shelves if there are any.” Most of the time there were none, but he said it anyway.

Ninomiya smiled. “Okay!” he said cheerfully, hurrying towards the storage room door, opening it and disappearing in the room. Kimishita cracked a smile. Ninomiya was acting the same way he always did; there was no reason to worry. Kiichi had been exaggerating.

For some time neither of them said anything, Kimishita continuing with his homework while Ninomiya busied himself around the store, humming quietly. The radio played a song that seemed vaguely familiar. Must be charting right now if Kimishita was able to recognize it.

Then the door opened, and several things happened in rapid succession.

One, there was a chorus of “Good evening!”

Two, Kimishita glanced up to find a pair of middle school boys, about Ninomiya’s age, walking into the store.

Three, there was a loud clatter from one of the aisles, followed by a desperate wail.

Kimishita jumped up. The two strangers spun around to stare into the aisles the noise had come from. They all saw the same image.

Ninomiya was standing between the shelves, pale as the moon, his eyes wide, his whole body frozen in place. Between his feet lay a box of cleats that he must have dropped to the ground. For a split second he was staring at the two strangers, then he started backing away, slowly shrinking into the shelf behind him.

“S-S-Sorry,” he stuttered, his voice breathless and shaky. “I’ll go pick it up right now... I’m so sorry... don’t mind me...”

With an abrupt motion he stooped down, lost balance, fell down to his knees, caught himself with his hands, and picked up the box, crawling over the floor in search of the lid that had fallen under the shelf, tears of shame in his eyes. _Don’t look at me,_ his entire form seemed to say. _Please don’t look at me!_

The two boys looked at each other, then at Kimishita.

Kimishita returned their glances with a slightly exasperated look, sighing instead of bothering to explain as he turned back to Ninomiya scrambling around between the shelves. “Need help?”

Ninomiya jolted up and knocked his head against the shelf. Turning dark red, he ducked down again, brushing a hand over his eyes as he tried to make himself as small as possible. “N-No, it’s all right,” he said quietly. “Please don’t mind me... just continue...”

The customers frowned. “Is he okay?” one of them asked, pointing worriedly in Ninomiya’s direction.

Kimishita honestly didn’t know what to reply. He knew Ninomiya was a bit clumsy, but this was definitely taking the cake. He had no idea what had brought this on or why he was panicking so much.

“Don’t mind him,” he said at last, parroting Ninomiya’s words. “Need anything or just looking?”

“I need a new pair of basketball shoes,” the taller of them said.

“And I,” the other added with a grin, “just went with him because he didn’t wanna go by himself.”

Kimishita resisted the primal urge to roll his eyes and pointed them to one of the shelves. “Over there,” he said. “If you have any questions, just ask.” _You better not,_ he added in his head. He had done enough socializing for today, and there was a very small circle of people he was still willing to interact with.

They thanked him and walked off to the appointed aisle. Kimishita caught them whispering something about “a scary face” and “kinda lame clothes though.”

There was another clatter, and Kimishita jumped as the realization hit him. He had sent the two boys into the very aisle Ninomiya was in.

He hurried after them to find them standing a few feet away from Ninomiya, blinking down at him with concern. He was still scrambling to retrieve the lid from the box, but now he was frozen in place, staring up at them, wide-eyed.

“Hey,” the taller one said at last, kneeling down next to him. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

“ _No!_ ” Ninomiya yelped and jumped to his feet. “I-I mean,” he quickly stammered, “no thank you! It’s very kind of you but you really don’t need to go out of your way to help me it’s very considerate but please don’t trouble yourselves with me I can manage I’m just having a bit of bad luck right now and, and...”

The shorter frowned sympathetically. “Do you work here?”

“N-N-No,” Ninomiya stuttered, startled by the question. “I only help out here because it’s my big brother’s place and I love this place a lot so I often come here and help, I would never ask for money for helping out here, there are much better uses for it and I honestly don’t need it and– ah, I’m so sorry! I’m talking too much again, I’m distracting you... Please carry on! I’m fine, really...”

He was obviously not, and Kimishita knew it as well as the two customers who exchanged a puzzled glance, sighed and proceeded to go through the array of basketball shoes. Ninomiya finally pulled out the lid from underneath the shelf, closed the box of cleats, hastily shoved it onto the wrong shelf and fled to the hindmost corner of the store.

The two strangers took their time trying on different shoes, got sidetracked, and started goofing around, their laughter resounding through the store. Kimishita went back to his homework and wished they would buy a particularly expensive model, pay and get the hell out of here since it was apparently outside their realm of possibility to shut up. From the back corner Ninomiya watched them with a mixture of intimidation and envy, but every time one of them accidentally glanced in his direction he quickly ducked out of sight and knocked something over.

Finally the two brats seemed to have picked out a pair, and Kimishita rather disappointedly noted that it was a rather cheap one, even though he had to admit the quality wasn’t bad for the price. Trying not to grumble, he took their money and handed the box of shoes back to them in a bag, the relief at seeing them leave outweighing the annoyance at the mockingly low price their visit had brought him.

Ninomiya waited until they had safely crossed the street and disappeared out of sight, then he slowly inched back towards Kimishita.

“Did...” He swallowed. “Did they say anything? About me?”

Kimishita shook his head. “No. Only about the _criminally cheap shoes_ they bought when they could’ve had a slightly better model for twice the price.” He clenched his hand around his pencil, knuckles whitening.

“A-And, and...” Ninomiya stumbled forward, leaning over the desk. “They didn’t seem to know me, right? They didn’t mention my name or anything, did they?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

Ninomiya gave a huge sigh, an invisible load tumbling off his shoulders. “That’s a relief,” he said. “They were in casual clothes, so I couldn’t tell if they were from my school... I’m so glad they weren’t! That would have been awkward...” A shadow passed over his eyes.

Kimishita frowned. _He’s hiding something,_ he thought. The way he had acted around these two strangers definitely wasn’t normal. This hadn’t just been his usual shyness paired with clumsiness, this had been _panic_. He had been completely terrified of the customers, helplessly blundering about when it was so obvious that all he wanted to do was run.

He thought back to Kiichi’s words. The stories he had told him yesterday seemed a lot more plausible now. Ninomiya really was afraid of people his own age, terrified to the point of blind panic, and he had no idea why.

All he knew was that he needed to find out. Ninomiya hadn’t told Kiichi when he asked, but perhaps he would tell him. Perhaps there was a good explanation for this kind of behavior, but perhaps he needed help–

No, he definitely needed help. And Kimishita wasn’t going to beat around the bush.

Leaning forward, he stared straight into Ninomiya’s eyes. “Hey, brat. What’s wrong with you?”

Ninomiya straightened up, paling. “Wh-Wh-What do you mean?”

“Don’t ‘What do you mean’ me!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Any reason why you were completely terrified of a pair of harmless kids your age?”

Ninomiya’s eyes went wide. Swallowing hard, he backed away, raising his hands with an awkward forced smile. “I...” His eyes darted around, avoiding Kimishita’s gaze. “I-It’s normal, isn’t it?”

“Normal?” Kimishita repeated incredulously. “In what kind of alternate universe is this supposed to be normal? Why would someone normally be scared of a pair of unassuming strangers their own age, huh?”

Ninomiya continued backing away. He fidgeted with his glasses, adjusted them, took them off, wiped them on his shirt, put them back on, and adjusted them again. “N-N-No, that’s not what I meant!” he stammered, talking faster and faster. “I mean, they took me by surprise and startled me so I started knocking things over and when they saw me acting all clumsy I got even more embarrassed and knocked even more things over and started panicking because it was so embarrassing and I didn’t know what I was doing anymore and I wasn’t sure if they were from my school and–” He froze and clamped a hand over his mouth. “I m-mean,” he continued, flailing his hands about, “anyone would panic if they were caught messing up by strangers and started messing up even more as a result... That’s natural, right?”

It was the most obvious bunch of excuses Kimishita had ever heard.

“It’s natural to some degree,” he replied, “but not this much! Why were you so startled by those brats in the first place, anyway?”

“I...”

Ninomiya hung his head and dropped his shoulders, and for a second Kimishita thought he was going to tell him.

“I’m fine. This is just me being stupid. I promise it’s no big deal!” He faked the brightest smile he could muster, but Kimishita didn’t miss the small crack in his voice or the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “Please don’t worry about me, big brother! I promise it’s not worth it... ah!” He glanced down at his watch and jumped. “So late already! I’m sorry, big brother, I really have to leave, I didn’t mean to stay here this long... See you again soon! Thank you for having me!”

With that he turned, grabbed his bag, and darted out through the door before Kimishita could stop him.

Kimishita stared after him. Then he looked at the clock.

It was at least an hour before Ninomiya usually left.

\---

Kimishita hated to admit it, but Kiichi had been right. He’d been right about everything.

And he deserved to know about yesterday’s incident. He was the one who had brought all of this to Kimishita’s attention in the first place; it was only fair that he got to know the whole story, even if it meant that Kimishita had to go up to him and tell him the one thing that would make his ego rise to the stratosphere for at least a week.

And so, during lunch break, Kimishita gritted his teeth, grabbed his lunch, and made his way over to Kiichi’s classroom.

For a moment he almost feared that Kiichi might not be there and he’d have to go looking for him in the crowded hell that was the cafeteria and publicly drag him out to talk to him in private. But luck, it seemed, was on his side for once. As soon as he stepped through the doorframe and navigated past a group of curious-looking girls he spotted Kiichi’s unmistakable mop of red hair at the back of the classroom, and standing in front of his desk talking to him was Satou. Kimishita sighed quietly. He’d have preferred it if Kiichi was alone and he didn’t have to make excuses for borrowing the idiot for a moment, but he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as those two were classmates.

Crossing the classroom, he walked up to Kiichi and smacked him over the head from the side. “Hey, idiot.”

Kiichi interrupted whatever stupid thing he’d been telling Satou to whip around in his chair, rubbing his head. “Hey!” he burst out. “What kinda way of greeting is that, asshole?”

“An effective one, apparently.” Kimishita crossed his arms. “Sorry for interrupting, Satou. I need to talk to this guy for a minute.”

“Why’re you apologizing to _him?_ You interrupted _me,_ shithead!” Kiichi complained from the side, but Kimishita ignored him, eyes resting on Satou as he awaited his response.

Satou raised an interested eyebrow. “Something important?” he replied. “Sure, I don’t mind. I was thinking about getting a snack from the cafeteria anyway. You guys want me to get you anything?”

“No thanks,” Kimishita said at the same time as Kiichi demanded, “Tomato sandwich.”

“At least say please!” Kimishita chided him, just as Satou nodded, walking off towards the door, then stopping halfway to turn towards a pair of boys still sitting at their desks.

“Hey, you two!” he shouted. “Get out, you’re in the way.”

They looked up with appalled faces.

“You heard me. Get out, you’re disturbing a private conversation! Go to the cafeteria or something.”

Kimishita idly wondered why Satou was getting so worked up about their presence as the two slowly scrambled out of their chairs, grabbed their lunches, and padded out through the door. Satou watched them leave with a satisfied expression, turned around, and closed the door behind him. Kimishita wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but for a split second he could have sworn he saw Satou wink at him.

Well, whatever. They were alone now, and there were more important things he had to focus on at the moment.

“So?” Kiichi said smugly. “What’s so important that you came all the way here to see me?”

Kimishita gritted his teeth. He wasn’t making it easy. “Shut your stupid mouth,” he growled. “It’s about what you told me yesterday.”

The smug smile disappeared in a heartbeat. Kiichi straightened in his chair. “Something new?”

“You... were right.”

Kiichi blinked stupidly. “What?”

“Don’t make me repeat it! I said you were right for once, you fucking imbecile!” Kimishita turned away, trying to hide the flush of embarrassment creeping over his face. “Even an idiot can be right once in a while, apparently.”

The proud, smug smirk that spread all over Kiichi’s face was out of this world. He looked so content and satisfied with himself that Kimishita would have slapped the expression right off his face if he hadn’t so strongly resembled a child who had just come home with a perfect grade after failing all his tests before.

“Wipe that stupid smirk off your face,” he grumbled. “It’s nothing special. Statistically, there’s a certain chance you might be right even when you’re guessing blindly.”

Kiichi stopped smiling. “I wasn’t guessing blindly!”

“I know!” Kimishita took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “You... had a good reason to think what you told me. I saw it myself.”

And so he told Kiichi about the events at the store yesterday, the two middle school boys, Ninomiya’s panic, and his wave of excuses when confronted about it.

Kiichi was quiet when Kimishita finished, his face clouded up with the same worry he had shown yesterday. “That’s the same stuff I saw,” he said.

Kimishita nodded. “Precisely.”

“Got any ideas?” Kiichi looked up at him with that expression he always wore when he had an incredibly important question. “Guessed what’s going on or something?”

Kimishita pushed up his glasses and sighed. “I’m not fucking Google,” he deadpanned. “The only hint we have is that he seems especially afraid of kids from his school. I don’t know what’s happening in that school of his, but it doesn’t seem to be helping him.”

Kiichi jumped to his feet. “Then let’s go!”

“Go where?”

“To his school!” Turning, Kiichi grabbed his bag and started striding towards the door. “We gotta see what’s going on!”

“Here you stay!”

Hurrying after him, Kimishita reached out and grabbed Kiichi’s arm, yanking him back. “You want to skip class or what? And get in trouble for trespassing when you get to Ninomiya’s school grounds? Genius, what a fantastic way to get in trouble! Excellent!”

Kiichi tore himself free, but at least he stopped walking. “Then what should we do?”

“First of all, wait.” Kimishita glared up at him over the frame of his glasses. “Keep an eye on Ninomiya, see if he reveals anything himself, slowly push him to reveal what’s happening. If we force anything it’s doomed to fail. So don’t even think of trying!”

Kiichi hesitated. He didn’t look happy, and he opened his mouth to object, one hand reaching out towards Kimishita’s collar and stopping in midair. Then he pouted. “Okay. But you better find out what the fuck is going on, jerk.”

There was a long silence, and Kimishita wondered if he should say anything else or turn and leave. Then finally the door opened, and Satou walked inside munching on a melon bread and throwing a tomato sandwich in Kiichi’s hands. “Sorry for the wait,” he said. “The lunch line took forever.”

\---

Kimishita had wanted to wait for Ninomiya, but Ninomiya didn’t come. There was no sign of him that day, or the day after, or the day after that; no visit, no message, nothing. He seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

After the fourth day of waiting Kimishita had enough. Screw skipping and getting in trouble, he was going to look for that stupid brat. If Ninomiya wasn’t coming to him anymore, he was coming to Ninomiya. And if he didn’t know his home address and his messages were left unanswered, that left only one option. He had to go to the school.

So he walked up to Coach Nakazawa after morning practice, a serious frown on his face. “Sensei, may I miss afternoon practice today? I need to take care of something urgent.”

The coach raised his eyebrows, a glint of curiosity sparking in his ever-tired eyes. “That’s rare,” he remarked, surprised. “What happened?”

Kimishita glanced aside. His brain was still trying to think of a way to phrase his situation, but his mouth was faster.

“It’s a family emergency.”


	14. SOS

Practice was starting, and still no sign of Kimishita.

At first Ooshiba didn’t care. After all, why should he care? It wasn’t like it mattered if that asshole came a couple minutes late, except that he’d savor every second of his embarrassment if he did, what with Kimishita bragging about never being late and all that other crap. He’d definitely tease him about it for at least the next week. This was too good to pass up. And since he wanted to see the very second Kimishita came hurrying up on the pitch and apologizing for being late, it wasn’t strange for him to keep looking out for his silhouette either. Right?

But a minute passed, and another minute passed, and he didn’t show up. The coach’s whistle sounded, and everyone got moving to start running warmup laps, and still he wasn’t there.

Kimishita didn’t show up while Ooshiba lagged behind on the pitch, waiting for him. He didn’t show up when he was finally shooed off to start running and grudgingly went off after the others, sulking. He didn’t even show up while Ooshiba was running his laps, running extra slowly whenever he was near the locker room entrance and sprinting the rest of the way, his eyes always firmly locked into the direction where he hoped Kimishita would show up until he almost ran into a tree. Finally the whole team was assembled on the pitch once more, finished with their laps, and Kimishita was still missing.

Now that was weird. Very weird. Kimishita was never late, let alone _this_ late. Where had he gone off to? Was he ditching practice after telling Ooshiba not to, that jerk? Why wasn’t Coach Nakazawa commenting on his absence at all?

“Hey, Coach,” he said, walking up to him as the others started pairing up for the next warmup exercise. “Kimishita’s missing.”

Coach Nakazawa seemed unsurprised. “I know,” he remarked flatly. “He excused himself this morning. Said he had to take care of a family emergency.”

A family emergency? Ooshiba straightened up. What kind of family emergency? Why hadn’t Kimishita told him about it yet? Was something wrong? Had something happened to his dad or–

Something clicked in his brain. _Oh._

That bastard. First he told him it wasn’t an option, then he went and did it anyway, all by himself?

“I’m leaving early.” Spinning around on his heel, Ooshiba started off towards the locker rooms, rapidly picking up speed. “Something came up!”

“So suddenly? What are you talking about?” Coach Nakazawa called after him. “Ooshiba!”

Ooshiba started running. “Be back tomorrow!” he shouted back over his shoulder. “I got a family emergency too!”

With that he sped through the door and slammed it behind him.

The rest of the team stared after him with incredulity.

“What the hell,” Nakazawa muttered to himself.

Usui went up to him with a smile. “Should I go retrieve him, sensei?”

“No thanks.” Nakazawa rubbed his temples, sighing. “If any more of you kids go missing, I might have an aneurysm.”

\---

Kimishita stepped out of the station, letting his eyes roam around, taking in his surroundings. He wasn’t too far from home, but this was still a completely unfamiliar part of the city; he had only been here once, and very briefly, so briefly that any memories he had from back then wouldn’t do anything to help him here. If it wasn’t for the map and route on his phone, he probably wouldn’t have gone five steps without getting lost.

_Now I know how Captain feels most of the time,_ he mused as he compared the map and the street names and started off in the right direction. _Only difference is that I know how to read maps._

He picked up his pace, hurrying past strangers with barely a passing glance, all his attention focused on the street signs. Thank goodness Ninomiya was so talkative most of the time. If that kid hadn’t thoughtlessly told him the name of his school some time ago, Kimishita would be left with no idea where to find him, except that he lived somewhere in the direction of this station.

As things were, however, Kimishita knew very well where he was headed. A little Googling around had been all it took to find out the address of the school, and a little more searching had given him a route to work with. He just hoped Ninomiya would still be there when he arrived. Otherwise he’d have to go through the pains of asking around until someone trusted him enough to give him his home address.

Not that he was keen on going to Ninomiya’s house. If the kid was right, and Ninomiya’s mother was also his mother... things wouldn’t turn out pretty. She might not recognize him if he showed up, but he had no doubt she’d recognize the name.

Kimishita knew he was on the right way when the first kids in school uniforms crossed his way, walking in the opposite direction. The first handful were soon followed by more, and within minutes Kimishita found himself walking against a flood of students, walking or cycling, talking, daydreaming, texting, reading. He kept his eyes open, but Ninomiya wasn’t among them. He wasn’t among any of the groups that kept walking his way, close like schools of fish and absolutely refusing to part and let him through. He wasn’t among the pairs walking side by side, laughing and talking and ignoring all their surroundings. He wasn’t among the lone students walking by themselves either, awkwardly trying to navigate through the groups and pairs while avoiding all human contact.

Kimishita sped up his pace. That meant Ninomiya still had to be at the school! Right?

Sprinting past several dozen students, he arrived at the school gate and let his eyes roam over the grounds.

No sign of Ninomiya. Kimishita took off his glasses, searching through the rows of middle schoolers, his eyes scanning over every single one, always on the lookout for Ninomiya with his oversized bag and the light excitable bounce in his step.

At first he didn’t recognize him. At first he thought it was just another kid who happened to look a bit like him. Then he blinked, focused on him again. And frowned.

The excitable Ninomiya he knew had disappeared. The Ninomiya who was walking up to the school gate looked small and fragile, slowly stumbling after the others, lagging behind. His head was hanging low between his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the ground under his feet. Pressed up against his chest he was clutching a pile of books, notebooks and papers, his bag wide open and slapping against his thigh with every heavy step. His shoulders were shaking like he was about to burst into tears.

Forgetting every single trespassing rule and all the trouble he might get himself into, Kimishita darted through the school gates and sprinted up to him.

“Ninomiya!” he called.

Ninomiya stopped walking for a second, then he shook his head and kept walking, still gazing down at his shoes.

“Ninomiya!” Kimishita shouted again, grabbing his shoulder and jerking him upright. “What happened?”

Ninomiya came to a stumbling halt. He blinked up at Kimishita, wide-eyed and incredulous, slowly processing what was going on.

Then he stumbled back, paling, almost tripping over his own feet. “B-B-Big brother!” he blurted out, panicking. “Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you d-doing here?”

“What was that, huh?” Kimishita glared down at him, clicking his tongue. “After telling me a bunch of obvious lies, running off, and not even replying to my messages, you have some guts to ask me that!”

Ninomiya swallowed hard. “Y-You came here... because you were worried?”

It was stupid. It was ridiculous. It was the most embarrassing thing in the world, and Kimishita wished he could bite off his tongue instead of admitting it out loud, but it was the truth. And Ninomiya needed to hear it.

Blushing, he turned away, glowering at one of the empty classroom windows on the second floor. “What do you think I am, skipping practice and traveling to someone else’s middle school for fun?”

“I...”

Kimishita turned back to Ninomiya, meeting his wide-eyed gaze. There was guilt in his eyes, shame and embarrassment, his jaw set tight as if something hurt him deep inside. “I told you, there’s no need!” he shouted, his voice trembling, threatening to crack. “I’m fine! I’m sorry for not texting back and making you worry I promise I’ll always text back from now on I just didn’t know what to reply is all so there was really no need to worry even though it’s very kind of you but I promise I’m all right... I...” His voice trailed off. “You’re too nice, big brother. All of this... It isn’t worth the trouble.”

Kimishita wanted to call him out on the nonsense he was spouting, but he didn’t know where to start without having to admit to himself how much he had grown to worry and care about this stupid, kind-hearted, clumsy, excitable brat.

Giving a slow sigh, he let his eyes roam all over Ninomiya’s small form, taking in the way he was standing there, trying to make himself as small as possible, the books he was still pressing against his chest like a trophy, the empty bag hanging over his shoulder, drops of water falling from it one by one, forming a small puddle below.

He blinked. “What happened to your bag?”

Every last trace of color left Ninomiya’s face. Eyes widening to the size of saucers, he stumbled back, his fingers closing around the strap of his bag.

“Oh, that,” he said, faking a laugh. “It’s nothing! I didn’t close my water bottle properly and it all spilled out, that’s all...”

He couldn’t have thought of a more obvious lie.

Kimishita narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be stupid,” he said urgently, snatching Ninomiya’s bag from his hands. “A water bottle spilling out doesn’t make a bag that wet, it’s soaked up to here!” He gestured to the dark line of water covering the entire bottom half of the bag’s surface. “So shut up and tell me what really happened, you idiot!”

Ninomiya didn’t reply at once. He hung his head, clenching his fists, his shoulders and lips trembling. His eyes glistened with tears.

Kimishita backed away, startled. Had he gone too far? Had be been too hard on him? “Wait,” he offered weakly, wishing he was Usui or Tsukamoto and knew how to apologize. “I didn’t mean–”

“I-It’s okay...”

Kimishita paused. “Wha–”

“You’re right,” Ninomiya said quietly, looking up. The tears in his eyes were ready to spill over, split seconds away from rolling down his face in wet streaks. “There’s no use hiding it anymore. I’m so sorry, big brother... I was too ashamed to tell you, but I... It’s just...”

He swallowed and sniffled, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes. “The truth is,” he said with a little more composure, “ever since I entered middle school... things haven’t been going well. Back in elementary school I had my friends, and I had the music club, but... but I lost touch with them after we went separate ways because we were all so busy and they changed so much that I didn’t understand them anymore... but that alone... that would be fine.” He sniffled again. “If it was just that I could live with it... but...”

Kimishita frowned. “But what?”

“But... but middle school is terrible!” Ninomiya shouted, his voice cracking. “On the very first day I knocked into the most popular girl in school and accidentally spilled food all over her clothes in front of everyone... and a day later everyone was talking and laughing about me so I kept getting nervous and doing clumsy things again and again... I-I tried to lay low and hide from people as much as I could, but it still keeps happening! Every time I think things have calmed down, every time I think it gets better...” His voice threatened to break, and he had to stop and take a deep, shaky breath, blinking away the tears in his eyes. “I-I even tried out for the music club but I was so nervous I knocked over a chair and broke a guitar and now I can’t show my face there ever again... that time I didn’t come to your store for half a week and said I was busy I fell down the stairs and twisted my ankle a-and didn’t want you to worry... today I dropped my bag into the school pond and had to climb into it to get it back while the others laughed... I don’t even want friends anymore! I just... I want to live my life in peace without embarrassing myself and being laughed at all the time... I...”

His voice crumbled and broke. His breath caught and hitched with a desperate sob. The tears in his eyes flowed over, running down his face and dripping on the concrete ground.

“Why am I so useless?” he burst out, frantically wiping at his eyes. “Why am I so clumsy? Why is it that every time I have the chance to do something right, I get nervous and mess everything up?” He hiccuped and sniffled. “It’s so bad that I can’t even talk to people my age anymore because I think they’ll laugh at me! I’m... I... I’m such a failure...”

The last remnants of his voice crumbled away into nothing. With another shaky breath Ninomiya collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Kimishita stared down at him, speechless. Different emotions were warring in his head. He wasn’t sure if he was angry, upset, worried, or some strange mixture of the three. Most of all he felt horribly, terribly lost.

How should he comfort him? Kimishita had no idea what to say. He wasn’t good at this, being gentle, saying all the nice things Ninomiya probably needed to hear. Showing affection. It was awkward, embarrassing, completely out of character. But he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing!

“Kimishita!”

Was he imagining things?

“Kimishita!” the voice called again, and this time there was no mistaking it. Running up to them across the school grounds, breathless and worried, was none other than Kiichi.

Kimishita knew he should be angry. He knew he should yell at him for going after him and obviously skipping practice and getting himself into loads of trouble. He knew Kiichi would deserve all that. But right now he ignored it. Right now, as he turned around and met Kiichi’s bright, concerned eyes, the only thought on his mind was, _Oh, thank goodness._

“What’s happening?” Kiichi shouted as he closed the gap between them and came to a skidding halt. “What’s wrong? Why is Kakeru crying?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue and tried to glare at him, failing miserably. He was much too relieved that he didn’t have to deal with this situation alone. “What are you doing here, idiot?” _And why are you arriving at the exact moment I need help?_

Ninomiya rubbed his eyes, raising his head to meet Kiichi’s eyes, equal parts amazed and ashamed. “Kiichi-san...”

Lunging forward, Kiichi grabbed his shoulders and forced Ninomiya to look up at him. “Who hurt you?” he demanded. “Who made you cry? I’ll kick their fucking ass!”

Ninomiya tried to answer, but another sob broke him off, and he turned away, trying to cover his eyes. His shoulders were shaking violently. He didn’t even notice that all his books had slipped from his grasp and tumbled to the ground, lying scattered around his shoes.

“Should I tell him?” Kimishita asked awkwardly.

Ninomiya’s only reply was another loud sob.

“Hey.”

Kimishita glanced up. Kiichi took a step past him to stand in front of Ninomiya, his hands loosely resting on his shoulders. “Hey,” he said again, quietly. “It’s okay. C’mere.”

Ninomiya blinked, sniffled, and buried his face in Kiichi’s shirt, still crying.

Kimishita stood petrified. Baffled, he watched as Ooshiba Kiichi, the very same Kiichi who threw a tantrum every time things didn’t go his way, the Kiichi who had given him several bruises and black eyes and only ever showed his affection to people by knocking their foreheads together, leaned down and gently wrapped his arms around Ninomiya’s trembling back, pulling him close.

“It’s fine now,” he said. “You got us. Nobody’s gonna hurt you if you got us with ya.”

Turning to Kimishita, he asked, “What happened?”

So Kimishita told him. He told him everything that Ninomiya had just entrusted to him, explained his panic in front of other middle schoolers, the strange things he had done so many times and tried to smile away.

Kiichi listened intently, and when Kimishita was finished he pulled Ninomiya even closer, crushing him against his chest. “Fucking popular brats,” he muttered. “I’m gonna beat them up!”

“Don’t be stupid! That won’t help anyone,” Kimishita said through gritted teeth. He understood Kiichi’s feeling. He understood it all too well. If he could have his way he would personally seek out every single person who had laughed at Ninomiya and punch them in the face, over and over, as many times as it took for them all to learn their lesson.

Swallowing his rage, he walked up to Kiichi and Ninomiya, who was slowly starting to calm down in Kiichi’s arms. Kimishita felt strange. He wondered if it should have been his job to hug him like that, to comfort him. Was it wrong that he was leaving it all to Kiichi? He should probably give Ninomiya a little affection too, just to show that he supported him.

But when he tried to reach out and pat his head, his body refused to move.

Shaking off the embarrassment, Kimishita placed a quick hand on Ninomiya’s shoulder before rummaging through his bag for a box of tissues and holding them in the boy’s direction. “Here,” he said. “You’ll want to wipe your face, kid.”

Ninomiya slowly pulled back from Kiichi’s embrace and accepted the tissues gratefully, wiping his eyes and blowing his nose.

Kimishita frowned darkly. The poor kid still looked like a mess. He had calmed down, but he still looked unhappy, only momentarily comforted. Something had to change, or he’d soon be walking home with his soaked, empty bag and his head hanging low once again.

He glanced up at Kiichi, and it took no more than a split second to know they were both thinking the same thing.

Kimishita stepped forward, placing both hands on Ninomiya’s shoulders. “Listen,” he said. “This can’t continue. We’ll be helping you.”

“Helping... me...?” Ninomiya looked amazed, incredulous, as if he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. “You will? Really?”

“Of course! You think we’ll tolerate any more of you walking home hanging your head and pretending to be fine? We’ve had enough of that!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “You need help, so of course we’ll help, Ninomiya– no.” He cracked a slight smirk.

“Kakeru.”


	15. A Little Push

“For the millionth time, no! How many more times must I tell you there’s no punching anyone?”

Kiichi gave a frustrated huff, pouting down at Kimishita. “Why not?” he insisted, in the same tone as a stubborn child who wouldn’t let his parents walk past the newest video game. “You wanna beat the shit out of those little fuckers too, right?”

“What I want or don’t want  _does not matter,_  idiot!” Kimishita sighed and slumped over in exasperation. “For the last time, you’re a high schooler! No matter how much some of these brats deserve it, you can’t just walk into a middle school and beat them up! All that will change is that you’ll get arrested!”

Kiichi smiled smugly, whipping out his wallet. “I’ll bail myself out.”

“Congratulations on unnecessarily wasting money, moron.” Kimishita clicked his tongue, trying not to let his envy show. “Why don’t you just throw it out in the streets for people to pick up?”

Kiichi crossed his arms. “I’m not wasting it! If it helps Kakeru–”

“And that’s the second point,” Kimishita continued, forcing himself to stay calm and not punch the imbecile in the face. “Which I’ve tried to explain to you a thousand times, but you just won’t  _listen!_ ”

“I’m listening just fine, dickhead! Maybe you’re just shit at explaining!”

“Maybe you’re just a stubborn man-child who refuses to hear people out!” Kimishita breathed in and out through clenched teeth, hissing. “Listen. As I was trying to tell you a minute ago, and two minutes ago, and three–”

Kiichi sat down heavily on the nearest desk, sulking. “I get it!” he snapped. “Shut the fuck up! What do you wanna say?”

“My point is, I’d have explained it to you already if you could  _kindly_  stop interrupting me, you impatient brat!” Kimishita glared daggers at him. “What I was trying to say is that you beating people up won’t help Kakeru, not in the long run. Are you planning to punch everyone who hurts him for the rest of eternity or what? That won’t help him! What we need to do is teach him to stand up for himself. That’s what I meant by helping.”

Kiichi gazed at him for a good minute, thinking. Then understanding dawned on his face, and he smirked. “I get it,” he said. “So we’re gonna turn him into Karate Kid and teach  _him_  how to beat people up?”

Kimishita fought with the overwhelming desire to slam his head into the nearest wall.

“Nobody’s getting beat up!” he groaned, a headache beginning to form behind his temples. “For normal people with a functioning brain violence isn’t the answer to everything!”

“Hey–”

“All we’ll teach him is to stand up to them,” Kimishita went on, ignoring Kiichi’s furious glare. “Have confidence. Fight back if he has to... with  _words!_  Not with his fists, idiot!”

Kiichi gaped at him, offended. “I didn’t say a thing!”

“I’m not stupid! I know what you were thinking!”

“You wanna fight?”

Kimishita jumped to his feet, ready to accept the challenge. Then he remembered Kakeru’s tear-stained face and sat back down with a sigh. “Cut it,” he said quietly. “This is stupid.”

Kiichi stared at him with wide eyes, speechless and completely stumped. “Uh...” he said intelligently. “What?”

“We’re supposed to work together, not fight.” Kimishita closed his eyes. “How are we planning to help Kakeru with anything if we can’t even get along when it’s important?”

Kiichi didn’t reply at once. Then a low chuckle resounded through the room, equal parts smug, amused and proud.

Kimishita opened an eye, glaring. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Kiichi grinned, more happy than downright smug, but still incredibly irritating. “So you’re calling him Kakeru now too, huh?”

Kimishita scoffed. “What of it?”

Kiichi’s grin widened, definitely smug this time, then he tried to put on a fake scowl. “Any other reason why I should call him by his first name?” he growled, mimicking Kimishita’s voice. “You know I hate doing that!”

Kimishita chucked his whole pencil case at him, blushing. “Shut up!” he snapped. “People’s opinions can change! It’d be less natural for me to never change my attitude on anything, idiot!”

Kiichi grinned again, more smug and infuriating than ever. “So you’ve accepted him as your little bro now?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.” Kimishita avoided his eyes, still scowling. “I think he’ll feel better if I call him by his first name is all.”

“He’s not here though.”

“It’s annoying to switch back and forth between names. Now shut up.”

Of course Kiichi wouldn’t do him the favor now that he had found such a marvelous way to mess with him. He smiled and inched over, patting a large hand on Kimishita’s shoulder, his face resembling a generous father praising his son. “I didn’t know you were such a nice guy,  _Kimishita-kun_.”

“Die in a ditch,” Kimishita shot back. “And drop the honorifics. I told you, it’s disgusting.”

Kiichi’s expression shifted from generosity to anger in less than a second. Huffing, he let go of Kimishita’s shoulder to grab his collar instead, yanking him up to his feet. “Say what?” he shouted. “Be proud the great me used honorifics on you, fuckwad!”

“Why should I be proud when you were clearly mocking me, idiot?”

“I was happy, you asshat! I thought you were actually turning into a big bro to Kakeru!”

“Why would he need me to be his big brother? He has you already!”

Kiichi stopped in his tracks. His grip on Kimishita’s shirt loosened. His eyes went round. “He... what?”

Little by little the whole meaning of his own words dawned on Kimishita, and he blushed. “Never mind,” he grumbled. “Forget everything I said!”

Kiichi, of course, wouldn’t listen. “Did you just say I was his big bro figure?”

“What of it?” Kimishita turned away. “Who’s the one who’s been playing soccer with him, defending him and looking after him, huh? And who comforted him yesterday? That was you, idiot! He’s more your little brother than mine!”

Kiichi turned very red. “I’m not his real big bro though,” he mumbled. “That’s you.”

“Or so he says.”

“It’s true!” Kiichi insisted, infuriated. “You’re the one he calls big brother! And he looks like you too! I’m just acting like a bro ‘cause I’ve always wanted little siblings.”

Kimishita snorted. “So I guess we’re both his big brothers in different ways, huh.”

Kiichi blinked for a moment, processing that sentence, then he grimaced as if he’d just bitten into a raw lemon. “Does that mean we’re brothers too?  _Gross!_ ”

“That’s my line, idiot!” Kimishita shot back. “Who’d want to be related to you?”

“You think I wanna be related to some edgy-ass grumpy-face with no money?”

“You take that back–”

“I mean...” Kiichi stared at his shoes, his face suspiciously red. “I don’t really mind being Kakeru’s big bro. Not by blood though. His uh... what’s the word. Brother-in-law or something?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue, blushing at the accidental implication of Kiichi’s words. “I think the term you’re looking for is  _step-brother,_ ” he said.

“Yeah. Right. That thing.” Kiichi paused. “Wait, isn’t that the thing where you’re married?”

“You confused them, idiot.” Kimishita breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it had just been a good old malapropism. He wasn’t sure how he would have reacted if Kiichi had actually implied that they were a married couple. That wasn’t even– no! No way! That was wrong on so many levels!

“Back to actually important things,” he said sharply, trying to get away from the topic before Kiichi managed to make the whole situation even more embarrassing, “we need to help Kakeru overcome his fear of middle schoolers. And not by teaching him violence, Kiichi.”

Kiichi scowled at him, but at least he was clever enough not to comment on that. “You got a plan?”

“I’m working on it.” Kimishita frowned, going through all kinds of possibilities and scenarios in his head. “But I have ideas.”

_And all of them,_  he thought,  _sound troublesome as hell._

\---

“So?” Suzuki asked, subtly falling into stride next to Satou as they ran their laps. “What happened?”

Satou glanced from side to side to make sure neither of the anger management duo were anywhere nearby, then he groaned. “They hung out together during lunch break again,” he said quietly, “but they’re hopeless. You’d think they’d have caught a hint by now, but they’re both dense as rocks!”

Suzuki’s eyes turned sympathetic. “At least they’ve been spending more time together. That’s a start,” he admitted. “What did they talk about?”

“Kimishita’s little brother,” Satou said. “Apparently he’s been having some problems at school. Mostly they bickered like an old married couple though.” He threw a glance at the pair, who were running a good way ahead, side by side and yelling at each other about whatever nonsense was going through their heads this time. “Can someone please push these two together and make them kiss already? They’re painful to watch!”

Suzuki nodded. “We should do it,” he said, not taking his eyes off the pair. “Push them together at the next opportunity.”

Satou nodded back. “Deal.”

“Push who together?”

They both spun around to find themselves face to face with an angelically smiling Usui, closely followed by Mizuki and Hayase. “You’re not planning to hurt anyone,” he said, the glint in his eyes enough to tell that he already knew everything. “Are you? Who are you trying to push?”

Satou and Suzuki both pointed at the idiot couple ahead. “Them,” they said in unison.

Usui’s smile widened. “Do you need a hand?”

“Make that two,” Hayase remarked from behind. “Watching them dance around each other like a pair of dumb toddlers with a crush and not get that they’re head over heels is like watching a car crash. You could cut their sexual tension with a knife!”

Mizuki gave a thumbs-up. “They make a very good pair. They should admit they’re friends.”

Hayase made a face at him. “You stay out of this, Mr. Married-to-the-Ball.”

“We’re not talking about friends,” Usui said, visibly biting back a laugh. “We mean that they’re in love with each other but won’t admit it.”

Mizuki looked confused.

“Like what you feel for soccer,” Usui continued.

Understanding dawned on Mizuki’s face. “Oh!”

Hayase glanced over to the side and sighed. “No clue about romance but head over heels for the ball... talk about an alien.” He looked ahead, where Kimishita and Ooshiba had fallen into stride next to each other, Ooshiba visibly struggling to keep up with Kimishita’s quick steps but stubbornly trying anyway and exhausting himself. “Speaking of, what do we do about the two dumb gay space aliens over there? Just push them together?”

“Sounds like a plan!”

If there had been a ceiling above their heads, Hayase would have jumped straight into it.

“Kazama!” he yelled at the grinning first-year. “Did you just pop out of the ground like a mushroom or something? Have you been listening?”

Kazama laughed, running alongside them, hands in his pockets. “Sorry, sorry, Haya-chan,” he said. “It’s just my ninjutsu. Didn’t mean to startle ya!”

“I always knew you were a ninja.”

“Ah, whoops, my secret’s out, huh?” Kazama laughed again. “Anyway, what was that about Kiichiman and Kimishita-kun?”

Satou and Suzuki quickly explained it to him.

Kazama listened intently and grinned from ear to ear, a devious glint sparking in his eyes. “Leave it to me,” he said. “I’ll take over Kiichiman. I can’t push him, but trust me, he’s real easy to trip.”

\---

They didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity to arise.

Annoyed with each other as they were, Kimishita and Ooshiba stayed side by side until they finished their laps, and even when the team paired up for passing exercises they stayed together, something that normally happened once in a blue moon when they were both unlucky enough not to find anyone else, and never on purpose. This time, however, it was like they didn’t pay any heed to their surroundings apart from each other, simply continuing whatever conversation they’d been having while running laps around the pitch.

Satou and Suzuki exchanged a glance and quietly moved in to stay close to them, waiting for their opportunity. On the other side Kazama and Tsukamoto closed in, and a little way off Usui and Hayase hovered nearby, observing the entire scene, ready to intervene if something happened. Mizuki watched the whole group from the side of the pitch, directing the exercise.

“–and for the last time, idiot, work on your multitasking skills!” Kimishita was saying as the group closed in, secretly trapping them. “You can receive passes  _and_  listen to me at the same time, or is that too much for your undersized brain?”

“Say what?” Ooshiba shouted back, chasing after the ball he’d failed to catch with his foot. “It’s ‘cause your passes are shit, asshole! Maybe you should learn how to send passes and talk!”

“Ah? My passes were fine! You just need to pay fucking attention!”

“I  _was_  paying attention, you stuck-up dickhead!” Catching up to the runaway ball, Ooshiba stopped it with his foot and turned around with his arms crossed. “I’m the most, uh... attention... attentionable... The most attentioned guy in the world!”

“It’s  _attentive_ ,” Kimishita shouted back, starting off in Ooshiba’s direction, “which you’d know if you actually  _were,_  idiot!”

“You wanna fight?”

“Why did these two pair up again?” Satou whispered as both idiots marched towards each other with telltale scowls on their faces.

“I’m not sure,” Suzuki whispered back, “but all the better for us.”

They exchanged a nod and started inching closer and closer to Kimishita’s back, careful not to let the pair notice them. It wasn’t hard. They were so focused on each other one could have set off firecrackers under their ears without them noticing.

From the other side Kazama and Tsukamoto advanced, pretending to chase after a stray ball Tsukamoto had “accidentally” sent in their direction. The third-years closed in around them, watching with impatience and curiosity.

“Now!” Usui mouthed, and several things happened in quick succession.

Kazama ran up to Ooshiba, planting his foot in the way of his next step. Ooshiba tripped and stumbled. At the same moment Satou and Suzuki knocked into Kimishita from behind, making him stagger forward.

Kimishita and Ooshiba knocked into each other with brute force. Their noses and foreheads crashed together, and they lost their last bit of balance. Kimishita grabbed Ooshiba’s arm in a last attempt to catch himself, and a split second later they both crashed down on the grass in a rather tangled position.

Ooshiba lay sprawled diagonally across Kimishita. One of his arms was extended in a feeble attempt to stop his fall, the other was still caught in Kimishita’s iron grip, clenched into the fabric of his shirt. Kimishita looked like he was being crushed under the weight, awkwardly trying and failing to push Ooshiba off with his legs while covering his face with one arm where their faces had almost slammed together a second time. Blood was coming from both of their noses, and they were bruised and not at all happy.

“Get off,” Kimishita growled, kicking Ooshiba’s shin. “I can’t breathe, idiot!”

Ooshiba stuck out his tongue and quickly regretted it when he tasted blood. Grumbling something unintelligible, he scrambled up to his feet and held out a hand to pull Kimishita up. Kimishita glared at him but took it anyway, staggering up and patting bits off dirt off his clothes, inspecting his bruises.

Wiping another handful of blood from his nose, he turned around to glower at Satou, Suzuki, and the dozen other players who had gathered around them to watch. “Who – the fuck – did – this?” he growled, his eyes screaming murder. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Calm down, Kimishita,” said a soothing, gentle voice. “I’m sure it was an accident.”

Kimishita shrank two inches. “Usui-senpai...”

“First of all,” Usui said with an ear-to-ear smile, placing a hand on each of their shoulders, “we need to do something about those nosebleeds of yours. Why don’t you both follow me off the pitch for a minute?”

It wasn’t a question, and they had no choice but to comply.

When they came back on the field a moment later they were still grumpy, annoyed and in an overall terrible mood, but their noses had stopped bleeding, and Kimishita was now sporting an uncharacteristically cutesy bandaid with a cat pattern on his forehead. Miraculously Ooshiba refrained from making fun of it, and those who took a glance at his knee could tell why; there wasn’t much point in mocking someone for a cat bandaid if you were wearing a pink flower-patterned one on your leg.

The matchmaking committee, however, looked like they could use a few cutesy-patterned bandaids themselves. Their mission had been a perfect failure.

Oh well, at least the idiots had stopped trying to pick a fight.

\---

Kakeru nearly dropped his glasses off his face when he unassumingly walked into the store and was met in a very peculiar fashion.

His big brother and Kiichi-san were standing in front of the desk, side by side, as if they’d been waiting for him to arrive. Both of their faces were bruised as if they had brutally knocked into something, and his brother was wearing a rather cute bandaid on his forehead, whereas Kiichi-san’s forehead was beginning to look rather purple.

“Good afternoon... What happened to you two?” Kakeru asked with concern.

His brother brushed it off. “An accident,” he grumbled, with an expression that made it all too clear that he did not like the memory. “It’s all this clumsy idiot’s fault.”

“Hey!” Kiichi-san protested, annoyed and offended. “And who pulled me down?”

“And who was stupid enough to trip and not catch himself in the first place, huh?” His brother shot a sharp glare at him. “I’d have caught myself if you hadn’t been in my way, moron!”

Kiichi-san opened his mouth to reply, but Kakeru raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. “I-It’s fine,” he stammered hastily. “I’m sorry for asking, I shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place! I hope your injuries will get better soon... are you all right? Oh, of course you are, you’re acting normal, well, you’re arguing like you usually are but– ah, I’m rambling... am I?”

His big brother leaned back against the edge of the desk, hands in his pockets. “I’ve seen worse.”

Silence.

“Um...” Kakeru ventured at last, looking back and forth between the two adults. “Is there... any reason why you’re both standing here like this?”

They glanced at each other, then back at Kakeru.

His brother stepped away from the desk, keys jingling in his hand. “Don’t put down your bag,” he said. “I’m not working today. We’re going out.”

“Out?” Kakeru repeated, surprised. “Where are we going?”

His brother looked up at Kiichi-san. Kiichi-san returned the glance, and they both smirked slightly.

Then Kiichi-san reached down to take the bag off his shoulder with a smug smile. “It’s a surprise.”


	16. Each Other's Team

“Hey,” Kiichi whispered in his ear as they sat next to each other on the train, “you sure you got this?”

Kimishita glanced down at Kakeru, who was eyeing the people around them with curiosity, wide-eyed and unassuming. “I’m telling you,” he whispered back, “the plan is waterproof. If this goes wrong somehow it’ll be because you fucked up.”

Kiichi scowled at him. “I didn’t fuck anything up!”

“Then it should be all right. All we want to do is help Kakeru get rid of his fear of middle schoolers, after all,” Kimishita whispered, keeping an eye on the boy next to him. “Which works best if they’re not from his school and he won’t have to worry about seeing them again. This should be fine.” He looked up to meet his teammate’s gaze with a gentle smirk. “Trust me like you always do, Kiichi.”

Kiichi didn’t say anything in response, but the twinkle in his eyes told Kimishita all he needed to know.

They got off again after a few stations, and Kimishita and Kiichi took Kakeru in the middle, starting to head down a street they both knew like the back of their hands.

“Is the place where we’re going around here?” Kakeru asked, taking in their surroundings. “I’ve never been in this area before...”

Kimishita glanced up at Kiichi. Kiichi glanced down at Kimishita.  _You say something,_  his expression seemed to say. Kimishita hid a smile.  _Counting on me to do the talking, are you? Well, all the better. You know which one of us is the explainer._

“It’s close by,” he said, trying not to let his face reveal too much. “Kiichi and I used to go there a lot when we were your age.”

Kiichi smirked a little too widely and Kimishita shot him a glare. Kakeru glanced back and forth between them, his eyes round and shiny. “What do you mean?” he asked, voice sparkling with curiosity. “Did you hang out together in middle school?”

“We played together,” Kiichi said before Kimishita could reply. “Soccer.”

Kimishita tried to glare at him. “Shut up, idiot!” he hissed. “You’ve spoiled the surprise, you moron!”

“We’re almost there anyway!”

“You could have waited a few more minutes!”

“But he asked  _now_ –”

Kiichi was interrupted by an all-too-familiar sight. Stretching out in front of them, wide and green and unchanged, was the soccer pitch they had spent their middle school years on.

For a moment neither of them said anything. Neither of them could speak a word. Memories came flooding back to them, bright and vivid and heavy with nostalgia; images of running laps and shooting practice until their legs gave way, of team huddles and high fives, of lying on the grass after the end of practice, exhausted and content and unwilling to get up. Images of victory celebrations and tears after a loss, of picking fights and laughing together and jumping into each other’s arms after scoring a goal, only to quickly leap apart again and pretend it never happened. Three years lay stretched out on the green grass of this field, three years full of tears and joy and memories.

Kimishita turned to look up at Kiichi and met his gaze, a strangely wistful look in his aquamarine eyes. It didn’t seem to fit him, but Kimishita understood. He probably looked the same way.

On the pitch a new generation of players ran back and forth, passing and dribbling and shooting balls, wearing the very same jerseys Kimishita and Kiichi had once sported with pride. Kimishita looked out for some familiar faces. The ones who had been first-years when he and Kiichi left for high school were third-years now, close to graduating middle school themselves. He didn’t remember much of them. He wondered if he’d even recognize any of them if they met off the field, without any jerseys to help his memory.

“This is the team Kiichi and I used to play for in middle school,” he explained to Kakeru, who was looking around with wide, fascinated eyes. “They’re all middle schoolers like you, but they’re definitely not from your school. They’re letting us watch until they finish practice, then you can try to talk to them. That way you can prepare for the interaction and won’t have to worry about anyone laughing at you at school.”

Kakeru blinked up at him, half anxious, half amazed. “Why... did you go that far?” he asked softly.

Kimishita gazed out onto the field. “To rid you of your fear of middle schoolers.”

“Y-You... went that far... just for that?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue, a blush creeping up on his face. “What of it?” he grumbled unwillingly. “I said I’d help you, didn’t I? Kiichi, you say something too! Don’t just stand around like a plant waiting to be watered!”

Kiichi blinked, startled, as if he was snapping out of a daze. His lips pursed into an unwilling pout. “Don’t disturb me,” he said. “I was watching our successors.”

“That’s not why we’re here, you idiot! Focus on the task at hand!”

“What task? We just gotta watch till they finish practice, you said that just a sec ago!”

“That doesn’t mean you can space out, you imbecile!”

“Okay, okay, chill.” Kiichi stuck his hands into his pockets and sulked. “You’re like a fussy mom.”

“Mo–?!” Kimishita was so flabbergasted that all words failed him. “Who are you–”

A soft chuckle interrupted them before either of them could start a fight again. Kimishita glanced down to find Kakeru smiling to himself, visibly struggling not to laugh. “Well,” he said, teary-eyed, “you do have a bit of a... motherly streak, big brother...”

Kimishita scowled and blushed. “Not you too! I told you not to learn from that big idiot!”

“You just don’t wanna admit he’s right,” Kiichi said, looping an arm around Kakeru’s shoulders.

Kimishita glared at him from below. “Stop teaching him all the wrong things!”

“Hey, I taught him soccer! That wrong too or what?”

Thankfully Kimishita didn’t have to reply because at that moment the final whistle sounded, and one by one the players started marching off the field, making their way towards them.

Kakeru stiffened at his side. Kimishita placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “You’re prepared,” he said quietly. “They don’t know you. We didn’t even tell them you’re coming. You’re a complete stranger to them.”

Kakeru nodded tensely and swallowed, just as a group of about two dozen middle school boys arrived all around them.

“–and they used to lead the team when we were first-years!” one of the boys was bragging to his underclassmen, and Kimishita vaguely remembered hearing the voice before. “They’re high schoolers now, and they’re playing for a real powerhouse, it’s only a matter of time before they go pro– Kimishita-senpai, Ooshiba-senpai!” He grinned and waved. “Long time no see!”

Kimishita squinted at him. His face definitely looked familiar, but he couldn’t put a name on it to save his life.

“Ishida,” Kiichi said next to him, putting on his proud upperclassman smile. “You’ve grown.”

“Ishida?” Kimishita repeated incredulously. He remembered now. Two years ago Ishida had been a wallflower, as highly skilled as he was terrified of any and all human interaction. The kid from his memory looked nothing like the boy standing in front of him, bright-eyed and proud-smiled and almost irritatingly confident.

“You got that right!” The kid’s grin widened, revealing the same tooth gap he’d already sported two years ago. “I’ve grown out of my awkward phase, haven’t I? Took me long enough!” He laughed. “So nice of you to visit again! What brought this on? How’s high school?”

Kimishita opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say a word a group of middle schoolers crowded around him and Kiichi, swarming him with at least twenty-five different questions at once.

Shrinking back, he instinctively searched for an escape route, but there was nowhere to go. Wherever he looked there were bright eyes and curious faces surrounding him, and he was trapped. Kiichi wouldn’t save him either. That idiot was relishing being treated like a celebrity, and unless Kimishita had heard him very wrong he had just offered someone his autograph. Fantastic.

Groaning inwardly, he resigned himself to his fate and answered all the questions one by one until finally a kind angel descended from heaven and interrupted the others with a loud, clear-voiced question.

“Wait a minute, who is that?”

Everyone went silent as their gazes turned to Kakeru.

Kakeru swallowed and shrank. He had instinctively hidden behind Kiichi as soon as the crowd had approached, and even now that he had been spotted he seemed to be searching for a hole to crawl into. Kimishita related to him, but this was bad. If he panicked, this whole trip would amount to nothing.

“He’s... my younger half-brother,” he declared, flushing at the unfamiliar taste of the word. “We wanted to show him the place where we used to play.”

There was a moment’s silence, and then everyone started talking at once.

“Your half-brother?”

“Wait, Kimishita-senpai has a brother? I thought you were an only child!”

“What’s going on? What’s going on?”

“Hey, but he’s our age, isn’t he? Do you play soccer?”

Kimishita and Kakeru both found themselves searching for the fastest way out.

“Hey,” Kiichi said at last, his voice reaching over the hubbub of questions and confused comments, “calm down. They can’t answer if you don’t give ‘em time to talk.”

Everyone quieted down, and Kakeru looked up at Kiichi like he was a superhero who had saved his life. Kimishita made a mental note to treat him to a snack sometime.

Finally someone stepped out, a dark-haired, friendly-faced second-year with bleached bangs and a bright grin that could rival even Kazama’s. “You’re in middle school too, aren’t you?” he asked. “What year are you in?”

Kakeru tensed up and fidgeted. “U-Um, first...”

“Cool! I’m in second!” the stranger said, grinning. “Heh, I’m older than you. My name’s Shindou! What’s yours?”

“Ni-Ninomiya,” Kakeru stuttered, his cheeks growing pinker and pinker. “Ninomiya Kakeru... N-Nice to meet you, Shindou-san!”

Shindou’s eyes lit up. “Shindou-san... I like that! Sounds so adult-like. Hey, Touya!” he called over to a quiet-looking boy standing a little way off. “When are you gonna start calling me that?”

“Maybe when you start behaving like an adult, Shindou!” Touya called back.

Shindou stuck out his tongue at him. “He’s always like that,” he said. “We don’t need him around, right, Kakeru? Can I call you Kakeru?”

Poor Kakeru seemed to be turning redder and redder by the minute. “Ye-Ye-Yes!” he stuttered out. “O-Of course!”

Shindou laughed. “Awesome! So do you like soccer, Kakeru?”

“We-Well...” Kakeru looked down, fidgeting with his glasses. “I-I’m clumsy and not very athletic, so it’s not like I’m good at it or anything... Ah, but I admire the people who are! My big brother is amazingly good, if I was only half as good as him I’d feel blessed already... not that it’s very likely of course, but I do enjoy soccer! Watching my big brother play with his team is always amazing, they all look like professionals to me... And lately Kiichi-san has been teaching me to play soccer too and I’m terrible at it but he’s very kind and it’s a lot of fun to play together with him! I-I mean, I’ll never be good enough for any team but I enjoy it, as a hobby, even though I know next to nothing about it but I’m trying to learn and–” He turned dark red. “Ah! I’ve been talking too much...”

Shindou seemed unfazed. “That sounds amazing! We should totally play soccer together sometime, I’m gonna show you some cool tricks!”

“You can say that again when you’ve learned not to trip over your shoelaces!” Touya called over from the side.

Shindou made a face at him. “You’re just jealous ‘cause I’m better than you!”

_These two remind me of someone,_  Kimishita thought idly.

“You...” Kakeru gaped up at him in amazement. “You tripped over your shoelaces, Shindou-san?”

“Hey, that was one time!” Shindou pouted unwillingly. “I forgot to tie them and tripped in the club room and knocked over a whole shelf and  _certain people,_ ” he glared over at his teammate, “just can’t let it die!”

Kakeru relaxed visibly. “I thought things like these only happened to me...”

Kimishita gave a sigh of relief, watching as Shindou pulled Kakeru along with his steamroller cheerfulness and Kakeru opened up more and more. Little by little other players joined in, and soon a small group had formed around him, laughing and talking normally.

Kiichi smirked proudly at him. Kimishita smirked back. “Success,” he whispered.

“Yup.” Kiichi nodded proudly. “Your plan didn’t suck for a change.”

“Shut up. The only times my plans have ever sucked were when I didn’t calculate the extent of your stupidity.”

They both snorted and grinned.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood,” Kiichi remarked, raising his head. “Or else I’d have punched you for that.”

Kimishita scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”

A loud, startled yelp interrupted their conversation.

Kimishita and Kiichi spun around in unison. Was that... Kakeru’s voice?

“Shi-Shi-Shi–” Kakeru stumbled out of the group, tripping over his feet and nearly falling backwards. “Wha-What– Why–”

“Oh,” Shindou said, stepping aside to reveal a pretty blonde girl, wearing the same school uniform as Kakeru. “That’s my little sister, she’s a nerd so she got into this elite school– Kakeru?”

Touya jabbed an elbow in his ribs and whispered something. Shindou paled. “Oh crap! You’re from the same school, sorry, I didn’t think about that! I forgot you had the same uniform...” He laughed awkwardly. “You guys know each other or something?”

Kakeru didn’t say anything. He just shook his head, slowly shrinking back, ready to run at any given second.

“Brother!” the girl said, pointing a slim finger at Shindou. “Where did you disappear to? You could have at least called if you were going to be late again! Mom is worried, do you even understand that? And she’s already not very happy about this whole soccer thing, what with your grades suffering and–”

“Shut up, nerd!” Shindou pulled a face at her. “Don’t expose me in front of my new friend!”

The girl’s gaze turned to Kakeru. Her eyes went wide. “Oh,” she said. “Aren’t you the boy from–”

“No!” Kakeru squeaked, fervently shaking his head as he stumbled backwards and lost balance. His feet lost their grip and he fell back into the puddle behind him, muddy water soaking into his shirt and pants.

“I...” His arms flailed around, panicking. “Not at all... Y-You must have mistaken me... you...”

He looked down at the stains on his clothes. Tears welled up in his eyes. “Oh,” he whispered. “Oh no...”

Shindou opened his mouth to ask if he needed help, but Kakeru didn’t let him. Staggering, he jumped to his feet, slipped again and toppled forward, his knees hitting the water as more muddy stains soaked into his uniform. Kimishita stumbled forward. Kakeru scrambled back to his feet, wiped a hand across his eyes, and backed away.

“It was very nice meeting you,” he said breathlessly. “I’m sorry to say that I have to leave now, I hope we’ll meet again sometime but now I really have to go and change... Clumsy, am I?” He faked a laugh. “I’m so sorry! See you later!”

He spun around and sped off.

Kimishita and Kiichi glanced at each other, then at Kakeru’s retreating back, then at the middle schoolers who were staring after him with confused faces.

“What’s with him?” Shindou asked, confused.

Kimishita sighed. “Leave him,” he said. “He needs to calm down.”

With that he turned and started off after Kakeru, Kiichi joining him a second later. Together they sprinted after him until they caught up, coming to a stop on either side of him.

Kimishita wanted to scold him for panicking and running off, but when he saw his face he didn’t have the heart. Kakeru knew exactly what he had done wrong. Tears glistened heavy in his eyes, on the verge of falling, his face distressed, his lips shaking.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, running a hand across his eyes. “You went through all this trouble and I... I’m so sorry...”

Kimishita sighed. “Well, none of us expected that girl to show up,” he admitted.

“No, it’s not that!” Kakeru sniffled and suppressed a sob. “I should have! As soon as I heard the name Shindou I should have known he was connected to her... B-But I was hoping he wasn’t! I w-was hoping it was just a very common name...” He bit his lip, swallowing hard.

“What’s up with her?” Kiichi asked, gesturing in the direction where the girl still had to be.

Kakeru sniffled again. “Sh-She’s the girl I knocked into on the first day of school,” he said. “The one I accidentally spilled food over... I was hoping she’d never see me again b-but...  _but...!_ ” A tiny sob escaped his lips. “I was so stupid... I should have expected it! I sh-should have been careful and yet...” A tear rolled down his cheek. “I ruined it... I’m so sorry!”

“Ruined  _what?_ ” Kimishita asked, glaring down at him. “You were caught off guard and panicked, so what! You can still go back to them and try again!”

Kakeru flinched and shook his head. “No,” he mumbled, his voice breaking to tiny pieces. “After showing myself like this... how can I face them...”

Another sob fell from his lips. Tears started streaming down his face. Kakeru tried to wipe them off, but more kept coming no matter how hard he tried.

Kimishita glanced around helplessly. What should he do now? Should he hug him just like Kiichi had the other day?

Alright. Fine. He’d give it a try.

Stepping forward, he pulled him in with one arm, patting his head with the other. “Don’t fret about it,” he said awkwardly. “It wasn’t all for nothing. You managed to talk to them without fear... that’s a step forward, I guess.”

“And then I ruined everything,” Kakeru sobbed into his shirt.

“Shut up. You didn’t ruin shit!” Kiichi’s voice was much gentler than his words. “It was that bitch who turned up and ruined everything. Kimishita’s right for a change, you did fine!”

Kakeru sniffled and said nothing.

“C’mon,” Kiichi said quietly, patting his back. “You did fine. This was just some shitty luck.”

Kakeru didn’t reply, but his sobs calmed down.

“That’s better.” Kiichi nodded smugly. “Now let’s hang out somewhere and cheer you up. Anywhere you wanna go? I’m paying.”

“First of all we have to find him some dry clothes,” Kimishita remarked.

“That too.” Kiichi thought for a moment, then his face lit up. “I know just the place for that.”

\---

It had been some time since he had last been to Kiichi’s house.

Kimishita looked around, noting the small changes around the place. It was still large and modern, with obnoxiously large windows and designer furniture that cost more than his father earned in a year, but here and there the decoration had been subtly changed, items moved around or replaced entirely.

Kakeru and Kiichi had disappeared into the basement to search for some of Kiichi’s old elementary school clothes that might fit him, and now he was locked up in Kiichi’s room, changing out of his muddy uniform. Kiichi had mumbled something about snacks and run off into the kitchen. Kimishita sat and waited at the top of the stairs, hoping nobody would come by and ask what he was doing here.

At long last the door opened, and Kakeru emerged in a set of clothes that were still as oversized as the brand logos on them, but at least they were dry and more or less fit him. “There I am,” he said, uniform hanging over his arm. “Where’s Kiichi-san?”

“Downstairs,” Kimishita replied, and they both walked down into the kitchen.

Kiichi closed the fridge and turned around when Kakeru’s footsteps crossed the doorstep, shooting him an appraising look. “Looks good on ya,” he said. “You can keep those.”

Kakeru yelped and jumped. “B-But–”

“You can keep ‘em,” Kiichi said again in a tone that allowed no protests. “They’ve just been lying around in the basement anyway.”

Kakeru’s eyes went round, then he stood straight and bowed. “Thank you very much, Kiichi-san!”

Kiichi smirked, pleased with himself, and patted Kakeru’s head. “You’re welcome.”

Kimishita leaned against the wall and shook his head at both of them.

“Oh, by the way,” Kakeru said, straightening up, “was that your guitar in your room?”

Kiichi perked up, his smile growing even more smug. “Yup,” he said. “Like it?”

“Yes! I didn’t know you played the guitar, Kiichi-san! That’s amazing!”

“I know, right?” Kiichi nodded proudly. “And my sis plays the piano. We got a grand piano standing around but she never uses it.”

Kakeru’s eyes shone and sparkled. “M-M-May I see it?”

And so it was that a second later they found themselves assembled around a beautifully polished, elegant grand piano. Kakeru ran a hand over the keys, shiny-eyed. “What a beautiful instrument,” he said. “I play the piano too you know, but my own piano at home isn’t this large or beautiful... May I...?”

Kiichi gestured him to sit, and Kakeru started playing a melody. Then he frowned, played it again and sighed.

“This needs to be tuned,” he said.

Kimishita blinked. Kiichi’s eyes went wide. “You can tell?”

“Yes! I play by ear a lot, so...” Kakeru played with his glasses. “I’m quick to notice when something is off-key...”

“I play by ear too!” Kiichi said excitedly. “But it’s kinda hard.”

Kimishita snorted. “No kidding,” he whispered under his breath.

They glanced at each other, then Kiichi pointed towards his room. “Wanna play a song together? I can get my guitar.”

Kakeru’s shiny eyes were all the answer he needed.

Kiichi darted off and returned with a guitar in his hands, sitting down next to Kakeru. “Whaddya wanna play?”

They didn’t take long to get started. Within moments Kakeru had figured out all the harmonies, showing Kiichi what notes to play so he wouldn’t create a dissonance, and half a minute later they were both jamming a song Kimishita vaguely remembered from the radio. Kakeru was smiling once again, and when they got to the chorus he burst into song, his clear voice filling the entire room, bright and full of all the passion he had for music.

Kimishita watched them and smiled. Seeing Kiichi that passionate about anything made him proud, and seeing him care so much about Kakeru made his insides warm in ways he couldn’t explain. He was glad to be here, to witness this moment, the light in their eyes as they played and sang together, Kakeru’s voice clear and melodious, Kiichi’s powerful and a little off-key as he joined in, big goofy smiles bright on both their faces.

He’d been wrong. Kiichi wasn’t a bad influence. If he hadn’t been around today, Kimishita wouldn’t have been able to cheer Kakeru up. Having him around was a help in many ways, a relief more than a nuisance. Spending time with him and Kakeru felt warm and comfortable, even if Kimishita didn’t quite know how to describe the sensation.

But if he had to choose, he’d say it felt like coming home.


	17. Bright Side of Life

Kimishita woke up with the rays of the morning sun tickling his skin and a smile on his face.

With a small, content groan he stretched, rolled over, and buried his face in the pillow again. It was Sunday, it was a calm, beautiful morning, and he had all the time in the world. There was no need to rush anywhere; he could easily close his eyes, listen to the birds outside the window and fall asleep again if he wanted.

It had been some time since he had last woken up feeling this happy. He didn’t know what had changed. Maybe it was because he liked mornings like these, bright and fresh and with no duties to attend, nowhere to hurry to. Maybe he had just slept incredibly well. Kimishita tried to remember the dream he’d had, but it slipped from his grasp, and all it left behind was a warm, fluffy feeling.

Yawning, he sat up in his bed, stretched again, and walked over to the window to look outside. It must have rained again last night, but today the sun was all the brighter, the sky a clear, undisturbed pastel blue, snowy white airplane trails crossing on their way from horizon to horizon. The street below was still asleep except for the old couple on the corner opening up their bakery.

It was a good morning.

Kimishita blinked. Thinking such silly, optimistic thoughts wasn’t usually his style, but he couldn’t help it. For some reason he couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off his face.

Tearing himself from the window, he crossed the room and opened the door. The scent of scrambled eggs and fresh coffee tickled his nose, making his stomach growl. His father had to be up already.

Kimishita made his way over to the kitchen, following the scent, and sure enough his father was already up, busying himself with breakfast. “Good morning!” he said cheerfully, not looking up from the frying pan on the stove. “Just in time, Atsushi. I was just wondering if I should wake you but I see your sixth sense has struck again, hasn’t it?”

Kimishita smiled. “You know food could raise me from the grave, Pops.”

“A  _grave_  statement to make so early in the morning!” His father picked up the frying pan and started piling scrambled eggs on two plates, laughing at the look his son sent him. “Come on, let’s eat before it gets cold. Coffee?”

“Yes, please,” Kimishita said and helped himself. Sitting down, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scents that tickled his nose and made his mouth water. With a soft sigh he took a sip from his coffee and smiled again. Nothing beat freshly-made coffee to start the day with.

His father watched him over the bottle of milk he was about to pour into his own coffee cup, a strange look in his eyes.

“What is it?” Kimishita asked, glancing up from his coffee.

“Nothing.” His father smiled and set down the milk bottle. “You’ve been looking different is all.”

Kimishita blinked. “Different?”

“Yes, how do I put it...” His father gazed thoughtfully into his cup. “Ever since you came home yesterday you’ve been looking happier than usual. More relaxed.”

_More relaxed, huh._  Kimishita thought back to yesterday, to watching Kiichi and Kakeru play and sing that cheesy pop song together, and something in his chest stirred with pride. They had both looked so happy, so invested in what they were doing that the enjoyment had transferred right over to him, even though he knew he should probably be embarrassed. But he couldn’t help it. Something about the way Kakeru and Kiichi had looked yesterday made him feel comfortable and warm and proud to be with them, and part of him wanted to spend more time with them and feel like this again. He wanted to see more of the looks on their faces, the light in Kakeru’s eyes, the bright grin on Kiichi’s face that was not at all smug but full of life and innocent joy.

He could get used to all this, really.

“You’re exaggerating,” he said, fully aware that he was still smiling like an idiot. “Well... it’s not like yesterday was all bad though.”

His father grinned. “That’s great news! Whatever happened to make you smile like that must have been amazing. Or should I say  _who_...?”

For a long, nervous moment Kimishita wondered if his father knew more than he let on.

Then he looked into his friendly, unassuming brown eyes and brushed off the thought. His father didn’t even know about Kakeru, how should he be aware of the rest? If he had guessed anything, he had probably just figured out that Kimishita had been having a good time with some nice people.

“It was all right, I guess,” he said vaguely, taking a bite from his scrambled eggs. “I had fun.”

His father smiled warmly and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad to hear that!”

\---

The day stayed bright and sunny, and so did Kimishita’s mood. After finishing breakfast, washing up and getting ready he headed out to the convenience store to get some groceries, and when some of the old ladies in the street smiled and greeted him he actually half-smiled back as he returned the greeting. Halfway to the convenience store he almost tripped over a cat, and while he’d usually mutter a curse and force himself to rush past the temptingly cute furball today he knelt down and scratched its ears, taking delight in the loud purrs he got in return. Nobody was watching him anyway, so nobody was there to stop him from indulging in his secret weakness for cute creatures.

It was strange, really. This lasting good mood wasn’t like him at all. And it wasn’t like anything too special had happened; if he thought about it rationally yesterday hadn’t gone nearly as well as it could, he still didn’t have a new plan to rid Kakeru of his crippling fear of his peers, and while spending time at Kiichi’s place had been fun, it shouldn’t have such lasting effects. He should have calmed down and gone back to normal already.

Kiichi...

The hint of a stupid smile crossed Kimishita’s face. The idiot had been awesome yesterday. He had still been stupid, yes, but when it came to cheering up Kakeru and making him feel happy again, he had been invaluable. Kimishita closed his eyes. He liked this kind of Kiichi, the one who cared about other people and instinctively knew how to cheer them up. The Kiichi who was warm and kind and caring, even if he was still a smug, immature brat.

If he showed this side more often, Kimishita could see himself enjoying the time they spent together. If Kiichi acted more like he had yesterday, Kimishita could actually see them getting along. He could imagine them acting more like friends. He could see himself growing to like Kiichi, more than he already did.

The cat evidently had enough of getting its ears scratched, because it gave a small meow and turned its tail to walk away. Kimishita straightened up and resumed walking. The second half of the way passed by in a breeze, and before he knew it he found himself inside the convenience store, trying to remember what to get.

Oh, right. Coffee. Coffee was important, he couldn’t forget that or he’d wither and die tomorrow at school. Salt too, they were almost out and he needed it to survive. What else... Eggs, bread, milk, rice... Vegetables would be good. Or fruit. They hadn’t had those in a while. That couldn’t be very healthy.

The song Kakeru and Kiichi had sung yesterday played on the radio, and Kimishita caught himself humming along, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth and blushing when he realized what he’d been doing. Thankfully nobody had heard. Honestly, what was wrong with him? He was way too calm and happy, and the strangest part was that he couldn’t even fret about it properly because he was too calm and happy to care!

Walking through the aisles, he filled his basket with all the bare necessities and finally found himself surrounded by fruit and vegetables, wondering what to get. He was always one for strawberries, but those were hard to get out of season, and the ones he did find were overripe and soggy, if they were still fresh enough to eat at all. The cherries looked good, but one look at the price tag ruined whatever taste they might have. Maybe he should just go for some apples; apples were always good and cheap, and he could make a lot out of them.

He was halfway over to the apples when something red and shiny caught his gaze. Tomatoes, large and ripe and juicy, so flawless they looked like a painting.  _Kiichi would love these,_  he thought, and before he knew what he was doing he had picked up three or four and put them into the basket.

They were expensive, but he supposed they could afford a small luxury every once in a while. They were still well within this month’s budget, after all.

He finished his round through the convenience store, paid, and walked outside to find the cat again. But this time it wasn’t alone. This time it was accompanied by an all-too-familiar silhouette holding out what looked like a cracker towards its nose while the cat ignored it.

“Captain!” Kimishita said, both surprised and mildly exasperated. “What are you doing here?”

Mizuki glanced up, his eyes going wide. “Kimishita? Where did you come from?”

_I fell from the sky,_  Kimishita wanted to say, but knowing his luck and Mizuki’s intelligence there was a good chance the captain would take that seriously. “Just finished grocery shopping,” he said instead, holding up his bag. “Were you trying to feed that cat crackers?”

Mizuki gave a quick nod. “I was eating them and it looked hungry too.” His face fell. “But for some reason it doesn’t want any.”

Typical Mizuki. “Cats don’t eat crackers,” Kimishita snapped, face-palming. “Depending on what’s in them it might even make them sick! You’re lucky that cat didn’t eat any! Don’t just feed human food to strange animals!”

Mizuki looked crestfallen. “Oh.”

Kimishita scowled and sighed. The cat, seeing that it couldn’t get any more attention or proper food from them, lost interest and walked off to curl up on the hood of a parked car.

“Besides,” Kimishita added, still scowling, “what are you doing here in the first place? Did you get lost again?”

“Oh, right.” Mizuki’s eyes lit up with a realization, as if he had only just remembered what he was here for. “I wanted to visit you, Kimishita.”

Kimishita blinked stupidly. “What?”

“Your store,” Mizuki said with a thumbs-up. “I need new cleats.”

Kimishita face-palmed.

“Don’t say that so naturally!” he yelled, startling a few pigeons nearby. “Have you even checked the date? It’s a  _weekend!_  The shop’s closed today!” He clicked his tongue. “Come back tomorrow.”

Mizuki stared blankly as if he was going through a calendar in his head, then his face fell again. “Oh...”

Kimishita forced himself not to look. He knew Mizuki’s disappointed face too well. If he looked at him and saw the stupid captain’s expression, there was no way he’d be able to resist doing something troublesome and making an exception for a dumbass who couldn’t keep track of opening times.

_Must... resist..._

“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow.” Mizuki sounded calm as usual, but Kimishita knew him well enough to tell how disappointed he was.

Ah, damn it, damn it, damn it! To hell with his stupid softness that always made him do these stupid pointless things!

“Fine!” he snapped, clicking his tongue. “I’ll make an exception for you. But hurry up, got it?”

Mizuki was positively sparkling.

Side by side they headed back to Kimishita’s house, and Kimishita pulled out his keys to unlock the front door of the shop. “Hurry up,” he said again. “I’ll be at the desk.”

Mizuki gave him a nod and a clap on the shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Just shut up and buy your damn cleats already, I don’t have all day!”

Mizuki disappeared into one of the aisles and searched between the shelves, rummaging through boxes and trying on different pairs of cleats. Kimishita sat down at his desk and waited. To think he’d do that on his rare day off... What complete and utter nonsense. Couldn’t Mizuki have turned up on literally any other day? He better buy an expensive pair to make up for making Kimishita go along with all his nonsense!

After what felt like a huge waste of time Mizuki reappeared, holding a box in his hands. Kimishita relaxed a bit. These ones weren’t exactly cheap, but he knew they were more than worth their price. As usual, the captain’s instincts had led him to the best choice.

“These are good,” he remarked, giving him an acknowledging smirk. “High quality. Good choice, Captain.”

Mizuki gave him a thumbs-up and paid. As Kimishita stuffed the box of cleats into a bag he pulled out his half-empty box of crackers and extended it towards Kimishita. “Want one?”

“No thanks,” Kimishita replied. “Now that you have what you need, get out and give me my weekend!”

Mizuki took the bag from him and turned to leave. “See you tomorrow, Kimishita.”

“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow, now leave!”

Mizuki disappeared through the door, and Kimishita sighed and went to lock up the store again. How troublesome. Why had he let this idiot drag him along again? He should really work on his ability to say no to honest pleas and disappointed faces, otherwise he’d never stop being flypaper for freaks.

Oh well, who cared. They were all okay enough, for a bunch of idiots anyway. Even Mizuki... no, especially Mizuki.

But something was strange... Today something had felt different than usual. He couldn’t quite lay his finger on it, but something seemed to have changed.

It wasn’t until he was up in his room again that it hit him. Mizuki had suddenly popped up in front of him, basically invited himself to the store, visited him there, patted him on the shoulder, and offered him food... and all through his shenanigans, Kimishita hadn’t been flustered a single time.

\---

Playing music with Kakeru might just be even more fun than playing soccer with him.

Ooshiba had never thought that anything could beat soccer in any way imaginable, but playing and singing together with him just might have made him change his mind. There was something about the way Kakeru’s face lit up when he played and sang that nothing else managed to do, something so bright and cheery and incredibly contagious that Ooshiba felt proud just watching him, proud to know how to bring this light to his face. Ever since that day they had often found themselves sitting at the grand piano again, Ooshiba with his guitar, and making cheesy renditions of hit songs just playing by ear and improvising. Every once in a while his parents or his sister would walk in and complain, and then they’d retire to Ooshiba’s room and play video games, but every once in a while Kimishita would join them and sit and watch them sing with that smile on his face he always tried to hide as soon as one of them looked his way.

Lately Kakeru had started explaining more about music too. For his young age he knew an awful lot about stuff Ooshiba didn’t even know existed, let alone had any importance on the way music worked; the kid seemed to be taking after his brother in smarts as he adjusted his glasses and explained things about tonality, rhythm, harmonies, and a million other things Ooshiba tried to remember but forgot the names of.

“There’s a shit-ton of math in music,” he said as they sat together one afternoon, Kakeru pointing at the piano keys and going off on another tangent about music theory. “I thought music was just sound.”

“Well,” Kakeru replied, smiling, “it is sound, but without math and everything else it won’t sound  _good_ , you know? Of course most of these things don’t matter unless you want to write a piece yourself, but I still think they’re very interesting, with all the rules and mechanics and principles most people aren’t even aware of... All music sounds different and yet the basic rules are always the same, and I think that’s amazing!”

Kimishita leaned back in his chair. “It’s like science,” he said. “The same basic formula applied to countless different situations.”

“Yes, exactly!” Kakeru’s eyes shone. “That’s what I find so fascinating... It’s an art and all about emotion and yet it’s also a kind of science! Cold rules filled with life, if you will?”

Ooshiba only partly understood that, but he guessed he wasn’t enough of a nerd to get it. “That’s weird.”

“You won’t get it,” Kimishita replied from the side. “You’re all instinct. Like a reptile.”

“Who the fuck did you just call a reptile?”

“Oh, wait. My bad. Reptiles have a brain. Calling you a jellyfish would be nearer the mark.”

“Jellyfish yourself!”

Kimishita snorted. “Is that the only insult you’ve got?”

There was a soft laugh from the grand piano.

“What?” Ooshiba and Kimishita snapped in unison, whipping around to look at Kakeru.

Kakeru laughed again. “You’ve been getting along well lately,” he said.

“We haven’t,” they replied in unison.

“No, you really have! You simply haven’t noticed it.” Kakeru smiled. “Big brother, why don’t you sing with us too? If you can speak in unison with Kiichi-san, I’m sure you can sing with him just fine!”

Ooshiba’s face heated up. Singing together with Kimishita... the way Kakeru had said it, it almost sounded like he wanted them to sing a duet. Hell no. That was gay.

Kimishita scowled and clicked his tongue, blushing bright red. “I don’t sing!” he snapped.

“Why not?” Kakeru insisted. “You’re good at everything you do, I’m sure you’d make an amazing singer!”

Kimishita turned even redder. “I said I don’t sing! I’m fine being the audience!”

“C’mon!” Now Ooshiba was getting curious too, and if he got a chance to mess with Kimishita, all the better. “You’re just chicken. Sing with us.”

“Forget it!”

Ooshiba was a second away from forcing Kimishita when an idea popped up in his mind. A very good idea. An even better idea than making the jerk sing here where only he and Kakeru were around to embarrass him.

“Fine,” he said. “But you gotta sing with us next time.”

Kimishita frowned suspiciously. “Next time?”

Ooshiba threw a glance at Kakeru, then he gave a smug, mischievous smirk. “At karaoke.”

Kakeru’s face lit up with nervous, giddy excitement. Kimishita blinked at him for a few seconds, stupefied, processing the words.

Then the scowl of the century spread over his face like a furious demon mask.

“Ah?! Forget it! Over my dead body!”

Ooshiba and Kakeru exchanged a glance. They were both thinking the same thing.

_We’ll change your mind, just you wait._


	18. Trio

“Is his answer still no?”

Ooshiba glanced down at Kakeru, who emerged from the bushes with a few leaves in his hair, the now-retrieved ball in his hands. The question was perfectly out of context, but Kakeru didn’t have to explain for Ooshiba to know exactly who he was talking about.

“Yup,” he said, slightly frustrated. “He just doesn’t wanna. Selfish asshole.”

Kakeru smiled nervously. “Well, big brother doesn’t exactly seem the type for karaoke...” he admitted. “Maybe you and I should go by ourselves if you want? It won’t be quite the same, but I don’t mind...”

“ _No!_ ” Ooshiba burst out, louder and more violently than he’d meant to. “We gotta go together! It’s pointless if he’s not there.”

Pointless because Ooshiba wanted to force him to sing, he added in his mind. That was all. He wouldn’t get bored with Kimishita wasn’t around, let alone lonely. And he definitely didn’t think that their little group wasn’t complete without that useless grumpy jerk who could ruin any good mood.

Kakeru, however, sighed softly and nodded. “You’re right,” he agreed. “If we went without my brother, I’d miss him too.”

Miss him? Nobody had ever said anything about missing Kimishita! What kind of misguided weirdo would miss that guy, anyway? It wasn’t like that antisocial loner would ever miss anyone back, so anyone missing him had to be a complete masochist!

“I don’t miss him,” Ooshiba grumbled, his face heating up.

Kakeru just gave him that odd look, and Ooshiba couldn’t help feeling like the kid didn’t quite believe his words.

“So,” Ooshiba continued, trying to get away from the uncomfortable subject, “since  _you’d_  miss him if he’s not there, we gotta change his mind somehow.”

Kakeru nodded. “Do you have a plan?”

“Let’s just kidnap him.”

Kakeru blinked at him for a few seconds, then realization dawned on his face and he started laughing. “Oh,” he said. “I thought you were serious!”

“I was serious,” Ooshiba replied, mildly confused. “Let’s kidnap him.”

Kakeru’s expression slipped. “U-Um...” he stuttered awkwardly, wiping a few drops of water off his glasses and giving a nervous laugh. “Before we do that, I think we should at least try to ask nicely, Kiichi-san.”

\---

It was already dark when Kimishita was finally done with his homework. He’d had a lot to do today, and now a glance at the clock told him his shift was almost over, and he only had to wait a few more minutes until he was able to close the store. Today had been quiet; almost nobody had dropped by all afternoon, not even Kakeru or Kiichi. Compared to the rather lively atmosphere that had spread all over this place lately, it felt almost... lonely.

Lonely? Kimishita didn’t know where he got that from. He enjoyed being alone, and he always had. People were exhausting and troublesome, and social interaction was a hassle– nothing had changed about that. The fewer people Kimishita had to deal with, the happier he was.

That much hadn’t changed, probably. Whenever a customer walked in he still groaned inwardly, hoping they’d buy something expensive and get the hell out of here before he was forced to strike up a conversation. Interacting with his team still left him drained and exhausted and irritable, even though it had become much easier over the past year, simply by virtue of getting used to their nonsense or something like that. No, he still hated human interaction. That wasn’t it.

It was more like... he’d been prepared to interact with people, but he hadn’t needed to. He had brought up the social energy thinking he would need it, and now that he had barely used any of it, he found himself almost wishing for some company.

The door opened, and Kimishita was just about to shout that they were closing in a few minutes when he stopped in his tracks. Walking inside was none other than Kiichi.

“What are you–” Kimishita started to ask, but Kiichi put a finger to his lips, shushing him. He pointed to something on his shoulder, and now Kimishita saw it too. Resting on Kiichi’s back, evidently fast asleep, was none other than Kakeru.

“What have you been doing?” Kimishita whispered, scrambling around the desk and hurrying up to meet them both halfway.

“We played soccer,” Kiichi whispered back, looking proud. “He’s gotten better again.”

Kimishita frowned at him. “You played soccer until  _now?!_ ”

“Yup.” Kiichi didn’t look the slightest bit sorry. “It was fun so we kinda lost track of time. And then he got tired so I carried him and he fell asleep on my back.”

Kimishita heaved a sigh. “And now you’re here because you don’t know where he lives and don’t want to wake him up, huh?”

Kiichi nodded.

“Idiot,” Kimishita whispered, tapping a finger against his forehead. “Don’t stay out playing so long he falls asleep! What if I didn’t know where he lives, huh? We’d have to call his parents and–”

Kakeru mumbled something in his sleep, adjusted himself and smiled.

Kiichi scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. “I know that,” he whispered, pouting. “It’s just... he looked so happy I didn’t wanna send him home.”

Kimishita sighed. Looking at Kakeru’s happy sleeping face, he could understand that feeling all too well. Knowing how much he still had to deal with at school, simply being carefree and happy and not having to worry about anything for a moment had to feel like heaven for this poor kid. And if he himself had the chance to make the boy feel like that for a little longer... well, he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t become pretty lenient himself.

“You’re spoiling him,” Kimishita grumbled, reaching up to gently ruffle Kakeru’s hair. “He’ll get bratty if you don’t watch out.”

Kiichi shook his head. “He needs self-esteem. I’m not gonna spoil him till he gets bratty, just till he believes in himself.”

It was an oddly caring sentence for someone like Kiichi to say.

Kimishita couldn’t help smiling. “I didn’t know you were capable of caring so much about people other than you, Kiichi.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Kiichi turned bright red, pouting off to the side. “I do care... I mean, Kakeru’s a good kid and I like him. If I like people, I care about them... that’s, uh... that’snormalright?”

Kimishita didn’t know why, but suddenly he found his face turning rather red himself.

“What are you blushing and mumbling for, idiot?” he hissed, glaring at the floor. “It’s not like you had any trouble admitting that before.”

“You’re blushing too. So there!”

“I’m blushing because you’re blushing and it’s embarrassing!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “It’s not like it’s some embarrassing secret that you care about Kakeru.”

Kiichi didn’t answer. He still looked suspiciously pink.

“Well, forget it. Let’s just bring this brat home before his parents report him as missing.” Kimishita extended his arms. “I’ll take care of him. You can go home.”

Kiichi didn’t move an inch.

“What?” Kimishita hissed, getting impatient. “I said I’ll take care of him! Did I fucking stutter?”

Kiichi shook his head. “I’m gonna carry him.”

“Don’t be stupid! You don’t even know where he lives!”

“But you do.”

Kimishita wanted to object, but something about Kiichi’s expression put him off. He knew that look all too well. This kind of look on his face meant that any attempt to argue with Kiichi would be as effective as talking to a wall.

“...fine,” he grumbled, slumping as he caved. “I’ll just lock up the shop and tell my old man I’m going out. Give me a minute.”

\---

Kakeru was still fast asleep when Kimishita walked into the brightly-lit station, shielding his eyes. Kiichi trudged a few steps behind him, Kakeru still sleeping on his back, dutifully following after him and letting him lead the way. They bought tickets for all three of them and made their way down on the platform, careful not to make any sudden movements that would startle the sleeping boy. The train whooshed in, and they stepped inside, Kiichi carefully sliding Kakeru onto an empty seat and sitting down next to him.

Kimishita stood in front of them, trying and failing to hide a smile as he watched Kakeru slump against Kiichi’s side, still sleeping and smiling in some dream only he knew. The train car around them was quiet and mostly empty. The only people nearby were a sleeping old lady and a businessman who wouldn’t look up from his phone.

“He’s out like a light, huh,” Kimishita muttered, half-smiling down at Kakeru.

Kiichi nodded. “He’s a kid, he’s still growing. That’s why he needs that sleep.” He reached around Kakeru’s shoulders to ruffle his hair. “That’s what my parents keep saying when kids sleep a lot.”

“So that’s why you know it.” Kimishita raised an eyebrow. “I bet you definitely didn’t use that excuse to sleep in when your parents tried to wake you early, huh?”

“‘Course not.” Kiichi huffed indignantly. “I always said that heroes need beauty sleep.”

Kimishita smirked. “Doesn’t seem to have had much effect.”

“Fuck you.” Kiichi tried to pout, but his expression quickly slipped off into a playful smirk. “If Kakeru wasn’t here I’d punch you for that.”

“Ah? As if you could. You couldn’t hit the school doors if you aimed, imbecile.”

Kakeru shifted against Kiichi’s shoulder and gave a quiet mumble.

“We should keep it down,” Kimishita whispered, glancing around nervously. “We’ll wake him if we’re too loud.”

Kiichi nodded and patted the free seat next to him. “Sit down too.”

“Why? I won’t be more quiet if I sit, idiot.”

“That’s not it,” Kiichi replied. “I just don’t like you standing when you could sit down. It bugs me.”

Kimishita scoffed and sat down next to Kakeru instead. “There. Happy now?”

Kiichi didn’t look entirely happy, but Kimishita knew better than to question that. Instead he glanced down at Kakeru’s sleeping face, the smile on his lips wider than ever, his cheek slightly squished where it rested against Kiichi’s side. Kimishita hated using that word, but he looked cute. Adorable. Adorable in the same way a sleeping kitten looked adorable, in a way that made Kimishita want to protect his stupid happy sleeping face at all costs.

Following a sudden impulse, he smiled, reached out, and patted Kakeru’s head, gently ruffling through fluffy dark hair. Kakeru mumbled something and sighed contently in his sleep. Kiichi watched them both with a smile, then he carefully pulled his arm away from Kakeru’s shoulders to pat his head too.

They both ruffled the sleeping boy’s hair for a moment until their hands met, and Kimishita quickly pulled away. Kiichi hesitated for a moment, then his hand returned, patting the back of Kimishita’s hand on full purpose.

Kimishita clicked his tongue. “What are you doing, idiot?”

“Nothing.” Kiichi blushed and pulled his hand away. “Do you mind or what?”

“We’re in public, idiot! What if people see?” Kimishita blushed too, but he wasn’t sure why. “It would look weird enough if it was just the three of us.”

They both stared off in opposite directions, their faces bright red, but thankfully at this moment a voice announced the station where Kakeru lived, and they got up, Kiichi lifting the sleeping kid on his back once more.

“Hey,” he said quietly as Kimishita navigated through the streets, trying to remember the way Kakeru had led him all those weeks ago, “want me to drop him off?”

Kimishita paused. “Why?”

“Just ‘cause... you know.” Kiichi wasn’t looking at him. “His mom’s your mom, so I thought maybe you don’t wanna see her.”

...Was Kiichi being  _considerate?_  Of someone else’s feelings?  _His_  feelings?

What kind of black magic was that?

Well, he did have a point. If Kakeru really was his half-brother – and Kimishita was getting less and less sure that he wasn’t – then there was a good chance that if he rang the doorbell, his mother would open. His mother, who he hadn’t seen in so long that he barely remembered her face. A woman who had disappeared when he was still a toddler, who had rarely ever been at home to begin with, for reasons he didn’t know at all.

He wondered if she still looked like that photograph his father treasured so much. He wondered if she would recognize him as her son. He wondered how she would react if she did. Was it really a good idea to face her? Maybe Kiichi was right and it really was better if he stayed out of sight.

And yet he didn’t want to hide. He couldn’t run away from her forever. If he was going to see her now, so be it. It wasn’t like she’d probably recognize him, anyway.

“It’s fine,” he said quietly, picking up his pace as the buildings around him became familiar again. “I’m not planning to hide from my own so-called family.”

Kiichi hesitated. “You sure?”

“Absolutely sure.” Kimishita glanced at him. “What’s with you? It’s not like you to care about other people’s feelings, moron.”

Kiichi pouted and said nothing.

They were just about to turn into the street where Kakeru lived when a loud female voice stopped them in their tracks.

“ _Kakeru!_ ”

They spun around. Kakeru was startled awake, blinking about sleepily and trying to understand where he was.

Running towards them was a woman, not much older than forty, light and athletic in her build and movements, even in her stiletto heels. Her dark hair was waving behind her like an angry shadow, and her eyes were flashing, fury and concern mixing in her expression as she stormed up to the boys.

“Kakeru!” she shouted again, reaching towards the child. “Where have you been all day, huh? I looked everywhere for you! What have you been doing? At least answer your phone if you go disappearing on me, you idiot!”

Kakeru blinked at her, dazed, rubbing his eyes in drowsy confusion. “M... M-Mo...m...?”

“And you two!” she continued, turning to Kimishita and Kiichi. “What have you been doing with my son?”

They looked at each other, unsure what to reply.

“We played soccer together,” Kiichi said at last, and Kimishita caught himself letting out a sigh of relief at not having to speak to her for the moment. “He got tired and fell asleep so we took him home.”

Kakeru’s mother cocked her eyebrows, suspicious. “So you say,” she replied, glaring. “Who says you’re not a pair of thugs trying to kidnap my son, huh?”

Kimishita was just about to open his mouth and give her a piece of his mind about logic and how kidnappers weren’t exactly prone to walking up to their goddamn victim’s house when Kakeru spoke up. “Don’t worry, Mom!” he said warmly. “Kiichi-san and big b– A-Atsushi-san are my friends! They’re very good people, so please don’t accuse them of anything!”

His mother frowned for a second longer, then her expression softened, her green eyes glinting gently. “Fine,” she said, taking a step back. “Next time drop me a message if you’re planning to disappear until dark, okay? You had us all worried sick.”

Kakeru scrambled off Kiichi’s back and stumbled over to stand next to his mother, stuttering an apology. She smiled down at him and then turned back to Kimishita and Kiichi, who were quietly watching the scene.

“All right,” she said with a sigh. “Sorry for suspecting you. Thinking back it didn’t make much logical sense anyway, but they do say that worry makes you stupid.” She gave them half a smile. “Thank you for bringing my son back.”

“You’re welcome,” Kiichi said without his usual proud undertone. Kimishita said nothing.

Mother and son turned to leave, Kakeru smiling and waving them goodbye until the disappeared through the door. His mother started to follow him, then she paused, narrowing her eyes and stepping back outside. Her gaze rested on Kimishita.

“You,” she said at last, frowning. “Have I ever seen you before?”

Kimishita shrugged and averted his gaze. “I don’t think so.”

\---

They walked back to the station in silence, lost in their own thoughts. The streets around them were quiet and empty except for the occasional workers hurrying home from their late shifts and a group of college-aged teens hanging around at the convenience store entrance.

At long last Kiichi spoke up, his eyes still gazing off into the distance, his hands in his pockets. “She really is your mom, huh.”

Kimishita said nothing.

“You both look like her,” Kiichi continued. “You and Kakeru.”

Kimishita gave a quiet sigh and didn’t say a word.

“It’s probably ‘cause of, uh...” Kiichi’s voice took on a familiar smug edge. “Dominant genes... or something.”

Kimishita stopped walking. “How do you know the first thing about genetics?”

Kiichi smiled proudly. “Kakeru told me. He teaches me lots of stuff.”

“So that’s why.” Kimishita cracked a lopsided smirk. “Aren’t you embarrassed to have a middle schooler explain the world to you?”

“Nope,” Kiichi said without hesitation. “Making him smart’s your job. I make him stronger.” He crossed his arms, looking perfectly convinced with himself. “That’s how we gotta raise him.”

“Raise him?” Kimishita gave a snort. “He’s not our kid, Kiichi.”

“Right now he kinda is.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Kimishita resumed walking with a click of his tongue. For some reason he felt strangely happy. Maybe he was proud of Kiichi for taking responsibility for another human being, maybe he liked the thought of taking Kakeru under his wing himself. Maybe he was happy that Kiichi had referred to them like they were family, like they all belonged together, all three of them.

“Well,” he grumbled, hoping Kiichi wouldn’t hear, “it’s not like you’re all wrong, though.”

Kiichi didn’t answer, but the way he smiled made it clear enough that he must have heard. Kimishita blushed, trying to think of a way to change the subject.

“By the way,” Kiichi said at last, making him pause. “Since you still don’t wanna go to karaoke with us, Kakeru told me to try this.”

He stopped walking, took a deep breath and bowed low, pouting and looking up at Kimishita with puppy-dog eyes. “Pretty please.”

Kimishita stared at him, not sure if he should laugh, cry, or slam his head into the nearest wall.

Of course this shouldn’t work. He didn’t want to go to karaoke, it was loud and annoying and much too social for his tastes and no amount of puppy-eyed pleading could possibly change his mind. He wouldn’t agree to this just because Kiichi was acting cute– wait,  _cute?!_

Never mind. He wouldn’t agree. He wasn’t that weak.

But Kakeru would be so happy. And Kiichi be happy too. Kiichi, who had put aside his pride to bow and beg and look up at him with that  _adorably_  stupid face–

“ _Fine!_ ” Kimishita burst out, his entire face glowing. “I’m going, just so you stop nagging me! Now shut up!”

Kiichi straightened and grinned smugly. “We’re going tomorrow.”

“Wait, I never said–”

“Yup. Tomorrow after school. Perfect way to start the weekend.”

“Ah? Don’t go around making decisions on your own, you imbecile!”

“I thought you wanted to go! Tomorrow’s the perfect day.”

“I never said I wanted to go! I’m going so you’ll shut up is all!”

“Fucking liar!”

“I’ll kill you!”

\---

“I’m not going.”

Kiichi stomped his foot like a frustrated child. “But you said yes!” he insisted, completely ignoring the eyes of everyone else in the locker room resting on him. “Don’t go back on your word, asshole!”

“For the millionth time,” Kimishita yelled back at him, “I never said anything about going today! That was your stupid decision!”

“It’s not stupid! You’re stupid!”

“Fine, then I’m stupid! Now shut up and leave me alone!”

“No! You promised!”

“I didn’t promise a fucking thing–”

“There, there,” said a soothing voice, and they both spun around as Usui appeared next to them, seemingly out of nowhere, smiling. Kimishita wondered if that guy could teleport. “What’s all this about? Where did you agree to go?”

_We never agreed on anything,_  Kimishita thought with a scowl.

Kiichi, however, crossed his arms with an accusing look. “Karaoke.”

“Ooh, karaoke?” shouted Haibara’s voice from the back of the room. “That sounds like a good plan, can I join?”

Kimishita blinked at him. “Huh?”

“Oh, well,” Usui smiled angelically, “if you don’t mind me then may I join too?”

Kimishita raised a hand. “Wait–”

“Karaoke?” The door opened, and Kazama walked in. “Who’s going to karaoke? Did you guys make plans without me?”

“Hey–”

“Alright, everyone!” Haibara cheered, jumping on the bench. “Karaoke with Shiba and Kimishita tonight! Who’s in?”

The locker room erupted with cheers, and Kimishita wanted to disappear in a hole in the ground.

\---

And so it was that later that day, almost all the Seiseki team regulars and at least a dozen more players turned up at the karaoke parlor, asking for a room. Hayase had excused himself, and Kimishita wished he could have done the same, but unfortunately Kiichi had kept a close eye on him for the entire day and snatched him as soon as he had tried to escape, dragging him off with the others. Kakeru had been wide-eyed to see such a large group but didn’t seem to mind, actually looking rather excited to see some of them again, to the point where Kimishita wondered if he had met them more than once.

They squeezed into one of the rooms, jostling about until everybody was seated on the bench, squeezed uncomfortably close together. Kimishita had somehow found himself shoved between an excited-looking Kakeru and Kiichi’s left leg, which was taking up an obnoxious amount of space despite how cramped it was. Kimishita seriously considered launching off on a lecture about manspreading and social etiquette when Kazama took the microphone, shouting into it and making them jump.

“Okay,” his voice echoed through the room, “who wants to sing first? Let’s pass this thing around!”

Haibara jumped up and volunteered, grabbing the mic and selecting a song, some cheerful, bubbly nonsense that went amazingly well with his happy-go-lucky demeanor. His voice wasn’t bad, Kimishita thought, although he really wished someone would turn down the microphone before it shattered his eardrums.

They passed the microphone around, and one by one they all sang a song, some of them more willingly than others. Kazama made a huge show while Tsukamoto was timid and had to be encouraged by his friend, who smiled proudly as soon as he started to loosen up. Mizuki simply sang like it was nothing and awed them all with their voice. Usui was downright ethereal in his charm, so otherworldly that all of them were silent for a few seconds after he finished his song.

And still the microphone kept coming closer.

Finally it was Kiichi’s turn, and Kimishita would have excused himself to the bathroom and disappeared if there had been any way to get out. As things were, however, he could only sit and listen to Kiichi sing some stupid rock song while wondering how he should sing without dying from embarrassment.

And then the song was over, and everyone was staring at him.

“No,” Kimishita snapped, pushing off the microphone Kiichi was shoving in his face. “I won’t sing. I’ll pass on this.”

“Heh,  _pass_ ,” Kazama remarked from the side.

“C’mon,” Kiichi insisted, still shoving the microphone at him. “Everyone’s gotta sing. You gotta sing too.”

“I said no! I don’t even know any songs–”

Kiichi selected through the songs and pushed a button, and a melody came on.

“Sing,” he said.

Kimishita was just about to protest again when he stopped in his tracks. He knew this melody. It was the same one Kakeru had hummed at the store, the same one the kid had sung and played together with Kiichi so many times. He knew this song.

So he took a breath and started singing.

His voice was awkward, nervous. He wasn’t sure if he was making any sense, but somehow the melody kept flowing out of him like it was a part of his soul. He had never remembered the words, but now that he saw them on the screen it was like they had been there for all his life, and he had simply had to find them. The melody kept flowing easier and easier, and his voice grew more and more steady. Maybe he could do this.

The chorus came on, and next to him Kiichi joined in, cheerful and slightly off-key. Kakeru beamed and started singing along, and before Kimishita knew what was happening they were taking the mic from his hands and passing it back and forth between them and back to him, their voices forming an odd, cheerful harmony. Kimishita relaxed. He didn’t know what he was doing anymore, and he didn’t care. This was fun. Singing with these two was more fun than he had ever expected, and when the song ended he almost regretted that it was over.

When the music stopped there was a moment’s silence. Everyone stared at them with wide eyes.

Then the whole team started clapping and cheering.

“That was amazing!” Tsukamoto shouted, eyes shining. “I didn’t know you were all such good singers!”

Kazama whistled and grinned. “One more time!”

“One more time! One more time!”

Kimishita blushed the darkest red he had ever been, sighed, and resigned himself to his fate.

\---

Outside the door a girl stopped walking, listening carefully. Little by little she inched closer, and when she was sure nobody was watching she cracked the door open, just enough to peer inside. Her eyes rested on the singer, and when she closed the door again she was smiling from ear to ear.

“Found you.”


	19. Clues for the Clueless

The karaoke room was empty and silent once more. The team had parted ways and scattered in different directions; Kimishita and Ooshiba had accompanied Kakeru home, and when they were safely gone certain players turned a few corners and “accidentally” all found themselves gathered in the same spot once more.

Haibara was the first one at the only free park bench, plopping down and stretching out his legs. “Guys,” he whispered excitedly, “is it just me, or are they getting along better now?”

“Nope, they definitely are!” Kazama whispered back, grinning. “But why are you whispering, Haibara-chan?”

Haibara’s smile slipped a little. “Well,” he admitted, “it’s already evening... One time I was out here pretty late and got yelled at because I was too loud.”

Some of the first-years snickered. Haibara shot them a glare. “Hey!” he whisper-shouted. “Old ladies can be scary, okay?”

“Anyway,” Usui interrupted them, “back to the topic, I definitely think they’ve been getting along much better. Especially Kimishita...” He threw a glance at Mizuki, who seemed happily oblivious. “He looks like his feelings have changed.”

Tsukushi’s face lit up with a delighted smile. “I think so too! Kimishita-senpai actually looks in love with Ooshiba-senpai now! I think... I guess... um...”

Kazama laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders. “I know, right? No need to be shy, dude, he looks totally lovestruck!”

“The question is, do they  _know?_ ”

Everyone fell silent. All eyes rested on Satou, who didn’t seem aware of the sudden attention at all.

“I mean,” he continued simply, “they’re obviously in love, but have they ever actually realized their feelings?”

“They’re dense,” Suzuki added. “So I don’t think so.”

Silence.

“W-Well,” Tsukushi ventured into the awkward quiet, “then all we have to do is, um... make them realize it somehow... right?”

“Let’s just straight-up tell ‘em,” Kazama said, paused and grinned. “Okay, not  _straight_ -up. But you know what I mean.”

Nakijin frowned, concerned. “What if they don’t believe us?”

“They don’t even think about it right now,” Nitobe replied. “Even if they don’t believe us, we might make them aware.”

Kurusu looked around. “I’m fine with it,” he said. “As long as I don’t have to talk to Kimishita-senpai...” He peered over his shoulder as if he was half expecting the second-year to appear behind him at any given second.

“Yes, actually...” Inohara’s gaze went from one to the other as he frowned. “Who’ll do it?”

Kazama’s hand shot up. “I’m talking to Kiichiman!” he shouted cheerfully. “And Tsukushi will help me, right?”

“Eh? U-Um, yes, sure! O-Of course, Kazama-kun!”

“Awesome!” Haibara grinned at them both. “That just leaves Kimishita. Who’s cluing him in?”

The only ones to say anything were the crickets in the nearby bush.

“Anyone?” Haibara nudged. “Hey, come on, I know he probably won’t listen but it’s not like he’ll kill you, you know...”

Kurusu grimaced at him. “Haibara-senpai, you’re not helping...”

“What? I was just telling the truth, he’s a bit scary but not  _that_  scary!”

“Not to his upperclassmen, you mean!”

“Hey, I’m not talking to him! He won’t talk to me about love since that card game at the training camp, remember?”

“ _Will everyone be quiet, please?_ ”

Usui smiled into the group, but his smile held no warmth. “Haibara’s right, we need someone he’ll talk and listen to,” he said quietly, his voice cutting through the absolute silence. “Any volunteers? Otherwise I think I know who might be fit for the job.”

\---

Suzuki wasn’t sure why Usui had picked him of all people. He wasn’t entirely sure why Usui hadn’t just volunteered for the job himself in the first place, since he was the one Kimishita listened to the most, but he wasn’t one to question the vice-captain’s choices. What had to be done should be done, and here he was, wondering how exactly he should bring up the topic and whether or not he’d been right not to bring Satou along, too. Actually, why hadn’t Satou volunteered to talk to Ooshiba? Those two were friends. Well, maybe he would have, if Kazama hadn’t beaten him to the punch.

As things were, Suzuki had no choice but to casually walk up to Kimishita as they were heading to their next class, falling into stride next to him.

“Kimishita,” he said quietly, “do you have a minute?”

Kimishita, who had been engrossed in his textbook and preparing for the upcoming test, instantly turned pale as a sheet.

“Suzuki!” he gasped as soon as he recognized his classmate. “Wh-What do you want?”

“Just ask you a question.” Suzuki stopped walking, fixing Kimishita’s green gaze with his eyes. “You’ve been acting different for some time, so I’ve been wondering if anything’s changed for you lately?”

Kimishita frowned. “Changed, huh...” For a second the hint of an idea crossed his face, but the next moment it was gone. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been looking happier recently. You’ve relaxed around Captain, and you haven’t been fighting with Ooshiba as much as you used to... Did something good happen?” Suzuki tensed up even as his voice stayed perfectly casual. “Did you, say... fall in love, for instance?”

Kimishita blinked at him for a few seconds, processing the question. Then he blushed furiously. “Ah?” he growled. “What kind of bullshit question is that? You know I’m not interested in–”

Suzuki tilted his head to look at him from below. “I don’t necessarily mean with a  _girl_ , Kimishita.”

“Wha–?!” For a few moments Kimishita’s face was an open book. His face was glowing with embarrassment, his eyes wide with shock and fear at being caught. Then they narrowed dangerously as he scowled. “What the fuck are you implying, huh?”

“Nothing. I’m just saying you’ve been looking at someone close to you differently and wondering if you knew.” Suzuki gave a slight smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Just don’t miss any chances because you’re unaware of your own feelings, okay?”

With that he turned and left Kimishita blushing and spluttering in the hallway.

\---

Kimishita stared at nothing, students walking past him as he tried to make his heart stop pounding and his face stop burning.

What the hell had that been about? Suzuki was acting like he knew more than he let on. The way he had asked him... It had been clear as day that this sly bastard knew something, and Kimishita wasn’t sure how much. All he knew was that he was embarrassed, embarrassed and mildly terrified.

Suzuki had obviously figured out his orientation. But if Suzuki knew, how many other people did? Was he really that obvious? Suzuki had promised to keep his mouth shut, but how many other people had figured him out who hadn’t promised a thing?

_Calm down,_  he told himself.  _Calm down._  Maybe he was just paranoid. Maybe he was panicking because he’d rather die than tell anyone he wasn’t averse to romance in general, just to dating girls in particular; maybe it was because he’d rather burn in hell for eternity than have people know without him telling and not know who did. Maybe he was just embarrassed. Either way he could easily have misunderstood the situation; maybe Suzuki wasn’t talking about a girl but an adult woman, although he couldn’t think of any adult women he was particularly close to. He could barely think of any he knew at all. But still, maybe...

No, that couldn’t be it. If he thought about it that way, he was lying to himself. Suzuki had obviously been referring to a guy. But who? Someone close to him, he’d said... but Kimishita wasn’t very close to anyone on the team, was he? And he definitely hadn’t been looking at anyone differently... or had he?

_Wait a second._

A face flickered through his mind. A very stupid, familiar face. His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be...?!

No. No way. Even if Suzuki had really meant that idiot, he couldn’t have been right. Kimishita would never fall for that guy. Not in a million years. He wasn’t even his type, if it could be called that in the first place.

...Right?

\---

Ooshiba drummed his fingers on the cafeteria table, staring at the empty seat next to him.

It wasn’t that he was waiting for Hideki. Hideki was already seated across from him, giving him an odd look over a mouthful of food and clearly wondering why he hadn’t started eating yet and who he was waiting for. Not that Ooshiba was actually waiting for anyone to sit here, especially not anyone in particular; he was simply saving up this seat for the case that someone he knew showed up here and couldn’t find anywhere to sit. Yup, that was it. He was such a nice guy, sometimes he was impressed with himself.

Except his kindness wasn’t helping him right now because that stupid ungrateful asshole wouldn’t show up.

By  _stupid ungrateful asshole,_  again, he didn’t mean any specific person. He simply meant whoever would come in here and discover that all the seats were taken. Which they weren’t right now in the first place, but that didn’t mean this couldn’t change. And then he’d be a hero and have reserved a place just for Kimi–  _someone!_  Why had he almost thought of that jerkass?

“Is this seat free?” a voice asked from his side.

“Nope,” Ooshiba said reflexively. “My jacket sits there. Go find your own.”

“Okay, thanks!” the voice chimed, just as Kazama slid into the chair next to him, grinning from ear to ear as Tsukamoto did the same on his other side.

Ooshiba looked back and forth between them, confused, irritated and more than a little disappointed. Wait, disappointed? What was he disappointed for? Just his heroic attempt to save a seat for– for  _whoever_  had been spoiled?

“I said it’s taken,” he insisted, pouting and glaring at Kazama. “Sit somewhere else.”

“Why?” Kazama looked perfectly unapologetic. “It’s not like you were keeping it free for anybody, right? Or...” A devious grin spread over his features as he winked. “Were you waiting for someone, Kiichiman? Someone special?”

Checkmate– no, wait! Not checkmate! Ooshiba hadn’t been waiting for anyone special. Definitely not. How lame would that be?

“Nope,” he said, sounding a little harsher than he’d meant to. “There’s no way I’d be waiting for that asshole!”

It took him a second to realize why the first-years and Hideki were staring at him.

Hideki snorted a laugh, almost choking on his noodles. Kazama hooted and let out a loud whistle while Tsukamoto gazed up at him in wonder, those big, annoyingly round eyes wide as pancakes. Ooshiba flushed bright red, trying to glare at all three of them at the same time.

“I mean...” he mumbled, frantically searching for an excuse. “Uh...”

Tsukamoto’s cheeks had gone red with excitement. “Who are you talking about, Ooshiba-senpai?”

“Nobody. You heard it wrong.”

Hideki nearly fell face-first into his noodle bowl, tears in his eyes as he pressed both hands over his mouth to hide his laugh.

“What?” Ooshiba yelled at him, blushing even redder. “What’s so fucking funny?”

Hideki snickered and coughed, gulping down a giant mouthful of noodles. “At least your subconscious finally caught on,” he remarked. “Only took you, what, four years?”

“The fuck are you talking abou–”

“Oh, Kiichiman, Kiichiman.” Kazama was trying to sound dramatic, a nearly impossible task for someone who was struggling to stifle his laughter. “Do you still not get it? You’re a hopeless case.”

Ooshiba glared down at him. “ _What?_ ”

“You... and Kimishita-senpai, um...” Tsukamoto shifted in his chair. “How do I put this... You like him a lot, don’t you?”

Ooshiba stared down at him, dumbfounded.

“‘Course not,” he huffed, hoping his face wasn’t still as red as it felt. “I fucking hate that shithead! Who'd be stupid enough to like him? He–”

Somewhere next to him a romantic saxophone solo started playing.

Ooshiba cut himself off, spinning around in search of the source. “What’s that?”

His eyes rested on Kazama’s phone. From the phone they strayed on to Kazama, who burst out laughing and fell down on the table, his shoulders trembling.

“Keep going,” he gasped out between fits of laughter. “I just found the perfect soundtrack for you talking about Kimishita-kun...” He tried to say something else but laughed so hard he couldn’t continue.

“I-Is that...” Hideki stared at him in disbelief. “Is that  _Careless Whisper_?”

Kazama’s only reply was an even bigger laughing fit.

Ooshiba didn’t recognize the title, but something else was clear as day in his mind. Kazama was obviously making fun of him. And nobody,  _nobody_  had the right to make fun of him on his watch. That bastard was going to pay!

“Turn that shit off!” he yelled, lunging to snatch the phone from Kazama’s hand. Kazama jumped aside and dodged him, still laughing, and Ooshiba crashed hard onto the table, hitting his chin and making Hideki’s tray and bowl clatter. “Turn it off!” he shouted again, lunging a second time. “I said turn it off!”

“Okay, okay.” Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Kazama paused the song and tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry, sorry. Got kinda carried away, Kiichiman.”

Ooshiba continued to glare at him. “What was that even for? Were you implying something or some shit? If you wanna say something, say it out loud!”

“You still don’t understand, Ooshiba-senpai?”

Ooshiba whipped around to loom over Tsukamoto. “Understand what?”

“I-I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to annoy you!” Tsukamoto shrank back, squeezing his eyes shut. “It’s just... Are you really still unaware of your feelings for Kimishita-senpai?”

Ooshiba stared blankly, his brain short-circuiting and shutting itself down. “My what for who?”

“In more medical terms,” Kazama remarked, resting a hand on his shoulder, “you’re in love, man.”

Ooshiba stared from one to the other in complete and utter disbelief.

Then, little by little, the gears in his head started turning, and he turned redder than he had ever been in his life.

In love? With Kimishita? Who was? He? He was in love with Kimishita? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Wait. Maybe– No! This was a mistake. He didn’t have a crush on that stupid asshole! Okay, so maybe he kind of liked him these days, fine. And trusted him, and wanted to hang out with him a lot, and thought he was prettier than all the girls he knew and wanted his attention and got angry when he didn’t get it. So what? It wasn’t like he couldn’t feel that way about someone else, platonically! Kimishita wasn’t even his type. His type should be the complete opposite of that stuck-up bastard, because he sure as hell wasn’t planning to date anyone who didn’t agree that he was the greatest. And why a guy, anyway? Come to think of it, why hadn’t that bit bothered him earlier?

“You’re wrong,” he declared with the utmost confidence– well, almost. As much confidence as he could muster right now. “I don’t have a crush on that guy. I don’t even like guys. That’s gay.” And besides, he’d had crushes on girls before. So that meant he liked girls. But he’d never fallen for a guy before, so he only liked girls, and that meant he couldn’t be in love with Kimishita. Right?

Kazama simply grinned, took Tsukamoto’s hand, and laced their fingers together. “Welcome to the party,” he said. “Anybody got some glitter?”

Ooshiba threw a punch at him, but Kazama laughed and dodged it, running off towards the cafeteria door, still holding Tsukamoto’s hand.

\---

In different places, at different times, Kimishita and Ooshiba both felt and thought the same thing.

No matter how convinced their teammates sounded, no matter how much they nagged and teased them, no matter how many hints they dropped, they were wrong. They weren’t in love with each other, and that was the end of it. They had never been and if they had any say in it, they would never be.

With that they both pushed today’s conversations into the very back of their minds, hidden in their darkest corners behind unnecessary rubble, never to be thought of or recalled again.

Or so they thought.

The truth was that their teammates’ comments hadn’t gone past them without leaving a trace. The idea of being in love had been planted into their minds, and there it lay, silent, biding its time until it was ready to sprout.

\---

The hallway was crowded as always, but today it seemed just a little bit less scary.

Kakeru wasn’t sure where he got the sudden courage from. Maybe he was still happy and light-hearted from Saturday evening, the happy tunes and bright smiles still buzzing through his veins, vivid in his memory. Maybe all the cheers and compliments he had got for his singing had given him a confidence boost, or maybe it was that for the first time in ages he had managed to socialize and get along with a large group without doing something clumsy and embarrassing himself. Either way he wasn’t quite as jumpy as he navigated through the hallways, even though all the people around him should be an invitation to mess up.

Lost in his own thoughts, he started humming quietly, picking up his pace and not stopping when a voice behind him suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, there he is!”

Kakeru kept moving. Whoever had been talking obviously hadn’t meant him; there were too many boys around who got way more attention than he did.

The voice was quiet for a moment, then it spoke again, much louder this time. “Heeeey, you over there!”

Kakeru almost paused for a second, then he shook off his curiosity and walked down the stairs.

“Hey, you!” the voice yelled again, echoing through the building and reverberating off the walls, silencing all conversations on the spot. “The short guy with the glasses!”

Kakeru stopped.

_Of course not,_  he thought to himself, shaking it off. Of course that voice wasn’t talking to him; he was probably embarrassing himself right now and he would embarrass himself even more if he responded. After all, he couldn’t be the only short boy with glasses around.

...But then why was everyone staring at him?

“Yes, you!” the voice positively bellowed through the staircase. “Wait for me! Don’t run awaaaaaaayyyyyyy–”

The sound of shoes slipping and stumbling filled the building, and Kakeru turned around just as people jumped aside and a tall figure slid, tripped, and thudded down the stairs, taking down the last six in one big fall. She stayed on the ground for less than a second, then she bounced back up like a jack-in-the-box, and a second later Kakeru found himself face to face with a very odd-looking girl.

She really was tall. No, tall was an understatement; she was at least as tall as Kakeru’s brother, possibly an inch or two taller, and lanky and gangly as a stick figure, her hands and feet too big for her endlessly long, thin limbs. Her hair, auburn and messy, was tied back into some hurried attempt at a ponytail that was in the middle of dissolving into nothing, strands sticking out everywhere and poking in every direction. Her face was covered in freckles, the grin of her mouth proudly revealed a set of braces, and she was looking down at Kakeru with bright, sparkling hazel eyes. Kakeru had never seen her before, but he felt oddly reminded of a Great Dane pup running up to its owner.

The girl smiled brightly at him, her cheeks looking flushed as she regained her breath. Then she inhaled, stepped forward and took a low bow– or tried to bow as she accidentally slammed their foreheads together with a force Kakeru had never experienced before.

Staggering back, Kakeru blinked away the stars dancing in front of his eyes. The girl straightened and paled, her eyes widening as she realized what she had done. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” she burst out. “Sorry! Are you okay? Ow, ow, that must’ve hurt...”

“N-No! I’m fine.” Smiling, Kakeru rubbed the bruise that was starting to form on his forehead, adjusting his glasses with the other hand. “It’s okay, please don’t worry, I’m used to accidents...”

“Okay! Sorry! I won’t do it again! Tell me if it hurts! I can go get ice if you want!” the girl babbled on as Kakeru raised his hands to calm her down. Then she took a deep breath, took several steps back, and bowed again, properly this time.

“My name is Makino Yuzuki, class 1-C!” she declared in a voice loud enough for the whole school to hear. “But please forget that again because the only thing I answer to is Yuzu!”

“O-Okay,” Kakeru stuttered as Yuzu straightened up again with a speed that made him wonder how she didn’t get whiplash. “N-Nice to meet you... Yuzu-san?”

She didn’t respond.

“Yu...” Kakeru swallowed, forcing down the nervousness stirring through him. “Yuzu...chan...?”

Her whole face lit up with a dazzlingly bright grin. “Nice to meet you too!” She stepped closer again, her eyes shining and sparkling with an excitement Kakeru didn’t understand. “And you? What’s your name, Glasses-kun?”

“I-It’s Ninomiya Kakeru!” Kakeru replied, bowing in his turn. “B-But Kakeru’s fine, I guess...”

“All right.” Yuzu took another deep breath, as if to steady herself. Then she reached down and grabbed Kakeru’s hands, squeezing them so hard they felt about to break.

“Ninomiya Kakeru!” she shouted, even louder than before. “As soon as I first saw you this weekend, I knew you were the one! It was love at first sight!”

All around them people started whispering, hooting and whistling.

Kakeru’s mind shut down. What was happening? What was this? Was this a confession? From a complete stranger who had only known his name for half a minute?

“So please!” Yuzu continued, unfazed by the crowd or the furious, glowing red blush spreading all over Kakeru’s face and body. “Ninomiya Kakeru...  _please start a band with me!_ ”

Complete silence.

Then everyone around them started talking at the same time, shock and surprise mingling with growing disappointment.

Kakeru stared at Yuzu, baffled and relieved. He hadn’t been asked out. But how... why... when...?

“A... band?” he repeated, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of playing music with someone else again, someone who wasn’t his family. “Start a band? Together? But...”

“Yes!” Yuzu’s whole face was brimming with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to start a band, you know? Bands are so cool! But I could never find anyone who wanted to join me, and when I heard you sing at the karaoke place on Saturday I just knew it had to be you!” She grinned. “I play the drums, and you can sing! How’s that?”

That sounded like a dream.

Kakeru had to be dreaming. All of this was surreal. It was too good to be true. He had always been the clumsy kid, the outcast everyone would laugh at, the one who kept humiliating himself and hadn’t even managed to get into the music club. And here he was, face to face with a girl who seemed every bit as clumsy as he was, friendly and energetic and not caring who he was or how bad he was with people his own age, suggesting to do the very thing he had missed doing for so long. He shouldn’t believe it was real, and yet he didn’t care. If he woke up in a second or two, he couldn’t care less.

“That sounds amazing!” he burst out, joy and excitement lurching through his body. “If you’ll have me, I’ll be very happy to start a band with you, Yuzu-chan!”

“Yay!” Yuzu pumped her fists in the air and nearly hit someone in the face. “Now we just need a guitarist and maybe a bass and keyboard. One step closer to the dream!”

Kakeru nodded excitedly. “Y-Yes! And if you need a keyboardist, I can play the piano too so, um...”

“Really?” Yuzu grabbed his wrist and started dragging him along, where, Kakeru didn’t know. “You’re amazing, Kakeru-kun! Let’s go find ourselves a guitarist and then we’re like a four-man band but with three people!”

Kakeru beamed and let himself be swept along as the rest of the morning faded into a sparkling rush of inspiration and excited discussions that were only interrupted when the bell rang.

\---

When Kakeru waltzed into the shop that day, several hours later than usual, he was humming and beaming from ear to ear.

“There you are,” Kimishita remarked as he glared at the smiling boy, putting down his book. “Where have you been, you brat? Have you ever heard about telling people you’re late, huh?”

Ooshiba almost started to add that he had been looking for him everywhere before coming to wait for him here, but something about the look on Kakeru’s face stopped him. The kid wasn’t usually smiling that brightly when he came in here. Something must have happened, and it must have been incredibly great.

“What’s that smile for, Kakeru?” he said casually, making his way through the aisles to meet him at Kimishita’s desk. “Something good happen?”

Kakeru’s smile turned giddy. He nodded violently, unable to utter a word, then he took a deep breath and clenched his fists in a cheering gesture, his eyes sparkling like never before. “Big brother, Kiichi-san!” he squealed. “I made a friend! I made a friend!”

They both gaped down at him, surprised.

“A friend?” Kimishita asked.

“So?” Ooshiba added. “You already got friends.”

“No, you don’t understand! I made a friend  _at school!_ ” Kakeru looked almost too overjoyed to speak. “Her name is Yuzu-chan and she’s really nice and really funny, she wants to start a band and she heard me sing at karaoke on Saturday and so she asked me to join and now we’re forming a band! Today we found an empty music room after school and started playing songs and it sounds so good, even if we still need a guitarist and, and...” He stopped, gasping for breath, still smiling like he had seen an angel. “My first friend at this school!”

Ooshiba looked at Kimishita. Kimishita looked back at Ooshiba. He looked just the way Ooshiba felt: stunned, proud and a little skeptical.

“This girl,” Kimishita said at last. “Are you sure she’s all right?”

“Yeah,” Ooshiba added, crossing his arms. “She’s not gonna hurt you, right?”

Kakeru blinked, then he started laughing. “Oh no, not at all! In fact, she already gave me a bruise on my forehead–” Ooshiba and Kimishita clenched their fists– “but that was an accident and she was really embarrassed afterwards! She’s all right, trust me!”

He looked so happy that Ooshiba believed every word. Smiling proudly, he reached over to pat Kakeru’s head, ruffling his fluffy hair. “Grats, kid.”

“Thank you! Thanks so much!” Kakeru took a bow and nearly hit his head against the desk. “I’m so grateful to both of you! If you hadn’t taken me out to karaoke that day this never would have happened... Big brother, Kiichi-san, thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome,” Ooshiba said with a smug smirk, feeling very satisfied with himself.

Kimishita got up and smacked him over the head. “Good job.”

Was Kimishita actually praising him?

“Yup,” Ooshiba said, ignoring the odd blush creeping over his face. And since he was feeling generous right now, he added, “You too.”

“Ah? What are you talking about?”

Ooshiba stopped smiling. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t give me that, it should be glaringly obvious!” Kimishita scowled, clicking his tongue. “Don’t ‘Good job’ me when I didn’t do anything, you imbecile!”

Ooshiba stared at him for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded. Then annoyance lurched. Spinning around, he slammed a hand down on the desk, making the books and cash register and coffee cup vibrate.

“The fuck was that?” he shouted, only growing more furious when Kimishita didn’t even flinch. “Who said you didn’t do anything? You did everything, so shut the fuck up and accept that!”

Kimishita’s scowl darkened. “What are you getting all emotional for, huh? I only said the truth. Whose idea was karaoke? Not mine, so don’t go saying I did a thing!”

What the hell was that? Was that bastard seriously refusing to accept that he had done a  _fucking amazing job?_  Not on Ooshiba’s watch. Oh hell no. As long as he was there, Kimishita wouldn’t be allowed to put himself down even once.

“It’s ‘cause of you too!” he yelled, grabbing Kimishita’s collar and slamming their heads together. “I never would’ve thought of karaoke if you hadn’t been around! So just accept it’s thanks to you too, you ungrateful shithead!”

Kimishita tore himself free, his eyes glowing. “What is wrong with you?” he yelled back. “Aren’t you the one who’s always so keen on taking all the credit? What happened to that, huh?”

Ooshiba flinched as if someone had punched him in the face. His hands let go of Kimishita’s collar.

“Am not!” he roared, rage boiling up inside him. “I take the credit when it really was me! And right now it was you too! I’m not gonna back down till you accept that!”

“Well,  _good fucking luck!_ ” Kimishita yelled back, not even noticing Kakeru’s flinch at the sudden swear-word. “I refuse to take credit where I didn’t do a single thing! The one looking after Kakeru was always you! Who taught him soccer? Who calmed him down when he was crying? Who played music with him? Who took him to karaoke, huh? Not me! I didn’t know what to do! So don’t go around saying I did a damn thing if I’ve only been his big brother in name! Are you  _trying_  to wound my pride or what?”

Kakeru’s eyes had gone round, his face pale. He was looking from one to the other, unable to say a word.

Ooshiba wanted to say more. He wanted to tell Kimishita how it had been thanks to him that he and Kakeru met, thanks to him that he had found out what was wrong with the kid, thanks to him that they had taken him to meet their old team and got him to overcome his fear of middle schoolers for the first time, thanks to him that he had discovered Kakeru’s love of music and gone to karaoke. He wanted to tell him that none of this would have been possible without Kimishita, but no words came out. A big fat lump of frustration and anger was stuck in his throat, blocking all the words he wanted to say.

“Fine!” he yelled, storming towards the door. “You didn’t do shit! Happy now?”

“Happier than before!” Kimishita shouted back.

“Good! But I’m not talking to you! I’m not talking to you till you admit it’s all thanks to you, asshole!” Ooshiba stopped in the doorway to spin around and flip him off. “I’m leaving! Fuck you!”

Still raging with fury, he stormed off. Some part of him was wondering if this was a stupid fight and not worth getting mad over. He decided he didn’t care. So what if it was stupid? He couldn’t accept this! Kimishita had been there all this time and supported both him and Kakeru and known everything and had all the ideas and now he was acting like he had nothing to do with Kakeru being happy and finding a friend? Big brother in name only? How stupid was that? Kimishita should stop putting himself down! He was better than that! He didn’t deserve it! So there!

And that was why he wouldn’t talk to him. He wouldn’t talk to him until he admitted he really had done an amazing job.

That would teach him!


	20. Upset and Set Up

When the others arrived at practice the next day, they couldn’t help wondering if they had accidentally walked into a grade school classroom.

Kimishita was sitting in one corner of the club room, already changed into his jersey, glaring at the wall and looking at least three shades angrier than usual. Ooshiba sat in the opposite corner, also in his jersey, arms crossed and pouting at the cobwebs in front of him. Why he was already there nobody knew, and when they asked him about it he didn’t respond, simply continuing to sulk in his corner in silence.

“Hey,” Satou asked as he walked into the room, followed by Suzuki, “are you guys okay?”

Ooshiba didn’t move. Kimishita clicked his tongue and grumbled something unintelligible.

“They’ve been like this all morning,” Usui remarked as he momentarily returned from the pitch to fetch some equipment, pushing past the second-years. “Nobody knows what happened though.”

Mizuki followed him, picking up a large box full of soccer balls and trying to reach for a second one just as Usui stopped him. His brown eyes were dark with concern. “Did they have a fight?”

Kimishita clicked his tongue again and finally turned around to glare at him. “How much longer are you planning to talk about us like we aren’t here, huh?”

“Oh, so you were listening!” Usui’s smile brightened, and Kimishita flinched. “It’s all right, we won’t pry. But you won’t let your feelings affect your performance, will you?”

Of course they did.

It was a disaster. Everyone on the team was used to Kimishita and Ooshiba fighting all the time, spouting insults and trying to punch each other, but nobody knew how to deal with them not communicating at all. When Mizuki tried to pair them up for warmup exercises Ooshiba simply stomped off to snatch Satou from Suzuki, and later on in the practice match Kimishita refused to pass to Ooshiba and missed an easy goal. When they weren’t forced to interact they made a point of standing as far away from each other as possible, and when that wasn’t an option they would demonstratively turn away from each other and glare in opposite directions.

“Dude,” Kazama whispered when they finally moved after standing at the club room entrance for a whole minute because neither wanted to risk going in side by side with the other. “What are these guys, three-year-olds? Life sure doesn’t get boring with Kimishita-kun and Kiichiman around!”

Tsukushi couldn’t bring himself to smile with Kazama, watching the second-years stomp away in opposite directions again and frowning with worry. “But this is bad, Kazama-kun,” he whispered back. “They need to make up! If they don’t, our team can’t play properly...”

“It’s fine, let ‘em be. If they act like this it can’t be that serious.” Kazama grinned stupidly. “I mean, you’re right, but we still got other great players! Such as m– Tsukushi?”

“Kimishita-senpai! Ooshiba-senpai!”

The whole team turned around to look at Tsukushi, but he only glanced back and forth between the two angry second-years, who hadn’t shown any response. “Um...” he stuttered out, his voice too loud with nervousness. “Did you have a fight? Because if you did, I really think you should talk it out, it was probably a misunderstanding and um–”

“Tsukamoto!” Kimishita barked from his corner without turning around.

Tsukushi straightened. “Yes!”

“Tell this idiot–” Kimishita pointed over his shoulder– “to stop throwing temper tantrums over something irrelevant and grow up.”

“U-Um...” Looking from one to the other, Tsukushi gulped, unsure what to do. “O-Ooshiba-senpai, Kimishita senpai asked me to tell you–”

“I heard him!” Ooshiba yelled back, still sulking in his corner. “Tell that asshole I’m not talking to him till he agrees he’s the one who saved Kakeru!”

Tsukushi was sweating bullets. “K-Kimishita-senpai, um...”

“Don’t repeat it, idiot, I’m not fucking deaf!” Kimishita clicked his tongue. “Tell the imbecile that for the millionth time, I refuse to take credit where it’s not due!”

“Oh yeah?” Ooshiba jumped up. “Tsukamoto, tell that bonehead his credit is– uh– he deserves– he did a lot and deserves all the credit!”

“Well, then tell the moron that he did way more than me, and what he did was much more effective! Can’t deny the facts!”

“Tell the bastard to stop talking bullshit and accept he’s a hero! Did you hear, Tsukamoto?”

“Tsukamoto, tell him to stop with the hero bullshit! If there’s one hero in this mess it definitely isn’t me! And tell him to shut up because he’s way too loud!”

Tsukushi shrank lower and lower.

“U-Um...” he stuttered, helplessly turning back and forth between the pair. “Kimishita-senpai, Ooshiba-senpai, please calm dow–”

“Shut up!” they both yelled in unison and stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind them.

Silence fell.

“Okay, wait a second...” Hayase pointed in the direction where they had gone, incredulity written all over his face. “Did they seriously just fight over who gets to  _compliment_  the other?”

\---

Kimishita collapsed into his seat, equal parts exhausted and infuriated. Honestly, this bizarre, childish third-person fight with Kiichi was the last thing he had needed right now. Why had that idiot Tsukamoto ever brought it up? Why hadn’t he himself kept his mouth shut instead of getting angry again? What a pain. It was pointless, pointless and annoying and incredibly stupid.

But what annoyed him the most was Kiichi. What had happened to that idiot? It wasn’t like him to go out and compliment other people unless they had sucked up to him first, and it especially wasn’t like him to force his praise upon others like this! What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just accept that Kimishita didn’t feel like he deserved his praise in this and move on? No matter how you thought about it, Kimishita had failed as a brother. He hadn’t managed to comfort or cheer up Kakeru a single time, he hadn’t known how to help him, and in the end all his plans to save Kakeru from his fears had backfired. Kiichi, however, had been a natural from the very beginning. He had seemed to simply know exactly what to do, what to say, when to appear, and in the end it had been him who had found Kakeru a friend without even meaning to. Without him Kimishita would have been completely helpless.

And yet Kiichi was insisting that he deserved credit too? Worse, that he deserved all the credit? Just how stupid was he?

Kimishita clicked his tongue, scowling darkly at the thought. This wasn’t fair. It ticked him off. The one time Kiichi actually had the right to say it had all been thanks to him, he was getting angry when Kimishita told him just that. That guy was delusional. Did he think Kimishita was lacking self-esteem when he was just stating the facts? And even if he did, why did he care so much?

_Get a hint, you big idiot._  Kimishita sighed and pulled out his books for the next class as the classroom around him filled with people.  _You can’t call me the hero in this when I would have been lost without you._

\---

Class had already started, and still Ooshiba sat the exact same way he had sat down when he had stormed into the classroom earlier, glaring out the window and sulking.

He was angry. No, angry was an understatement. He was  _pissed_ , and it was all because of that stupid, ungrateful bastard Kimishita.

What the hell was his stupid problem? Ooshiba had literally just tried to compliment him, and he had to go and make a huge drama out of it! Not done anything? It had all been Ooshiba alone? What kind of garbage was that? Of course they had done it together, and Kimishita was the one who had made it all possible! What should Ooshiba have done without his brains? What should he have done without him making plans and strategies and having ideas and telling him what was going on? Kimishita had been amazing, and it made him furious to see he couldn’t appreciate his own accomplishment!

Okay, so maybe it had been Ooshiba who had calmed Kakeru down when he was crying. Maybe it had been him who had first noticed that something was wrong, but that was just because middle schoolers didn’t come to Kimishita’s store as often as they walked past the playground. Maybe karaoke had been his idea, but it wasn’t like he had planned for anyone to hear Kakeru singing and decide he needed to be in a band. And Kakeru had started singing when Kimishita was singing, anyway. So maybe that Yuzu girl had heard him then? Then it was definitely thanks to Kimishita that she had found him, so there!

Honestly, he hated it. He hated how modest Kimishita was. He hated how much he could underestimate himself and put himself down when he was amazing, he had every reason to believe in himself so why couldn’t he just do it? He should be holding his head high! He was a great player and smart and handsome, he had every reason to go around bragging about it! Why did he always keep insisting it was no big deal, he didn’t deserve the credit, he wasn’t that amazing compared to what other people did?

Ooshiba gave an angry huff. That stupid bastard. He was amazing, and coming from Ooshiba that was high praise! He had every reason to be proud! Kimishita was a hero, dammit! And yet...

_If there’s one hero in this mess it definitely isn’t me!_

Why did he have to keep saying that stuff? It wasn’t like–

Wait a minute.

Ooshiba’s anger evaporated, turning into surprise and amazement. His cheeks turned pink as his heart skipped a beat and started running faster.

“Did he just... call me a hero?”

The entire class turned around to stare at him as the teacher told him to shut up.

\---

By the time afternoon practice started, things were looking dire.

Ooshiba had calmed down momentarily, but it hadn’t lasted. As soon as he spotted Kimishita again he went back to sulking, but this time he would blush on top of it, looking like a six-foot tall angry tomato. Every time Kimishita looked at him he would quickly turn away and flush even redder, and when they had to carry a bench together he got so flustered he dropped it on his foot. If Kimishita had noticed, he wasn’t showing it in the slightest; he was still storming around in the same horrible mood as in the morning, glaring and snapping at everyone and ignoring Ooshiba as pointedly as Ooshiba tried to ignore him.

Needless to say, when they both finally left to go home, a sigh of relief went through the rows of their remaining teammates.

“What the hell,” Kurusu whispered, slumping and leaning back against the wall. “They’re even worse than this morning!”

Nitobe slumped down next to him, looking equally exhausted. “They’ve been terrifying all day... Like a ticking time bomb or something, right?”

“You think so?” said a voice next to him.

Nitobe almost jumped as Usui appeared next to him, out of nowhere, as freaking always. Honestly, part of him wanted to team up with Kimishita and form the Perpetually Scared by Usui Yuuta Club sometime. “U-Usui-senpai!” he burst out. “How long have you... never mind.” He edged away from him. “Of course you don’t think they’re scary, you’re never scared of anything...”

Usui’s smile was unreadable as he chuckled. “That’s a nasty rumor,” he said. “These two aren’t scary is all. If anything, I feel sorry for them.”

“You’re too patient, Usui,” Hayase remarked from the other side of the room. “I don’t even feel bad for them anymore. Like, can they just stop being toddlers and confess like normal people and stop tormenting us?”

Kazama smirked where he sat. “Are you that invested, Haya-chan?”

“I’m just annoyed, okay!”

“I’m not!” Haibara chimed in. “I think they’re making progress. At least Shiba is.”

Everyone stared at him, surprised.

Inohara was the first one to speak, realization dawning on his face. “He did act very flustered just now,” he remarked. “Maybe he’s one step closer to realizing his feelings.”

None of the others looked very convinced. Kazama gave an awkward grin, remembering his conversation with Ooshiba yesterday. Satou and Suzuki exchanged a meaningful glance. The third-years sighed.

“Um... W-Well, um, I think...”

The whole team turned around to look at Tsukushi, curious.

“Th-This is only a thought!” he stuttered out, blushing at the sudden attention. “B-But um... since their fight seemed to have to do with Kakeru-kun... Maybe he can do something! I-I mean... Let’s notify him!”

\---

“No, no, no! The words aren’t right here.” Frowning, Yuzu leaned over her notebook page, scribbling something into what was already an unreadable scribbly mess. “We need to change the lyrics... Ah, geez! Why does this line sound weird no matter what I do?”

Kakeru leaned over her shoulder, peering at the scribbles. He couldn’t make much sense of them anymore, but it didn’t matter; he had memorized the lyrics by heart already. “I don’t know what you mean, Yuzu-chan,” he said. “It sounds fine to me! I think you’re already amazing to be able to write songs like this!”

“That’s because you’re nice, Kakeru-kun!” she replied, wrapping an arm around him and laughing. “You’re super duper nice! But I still don’t like the lyrics, your niceness can’t change that!”

Kakeru smiled awkwardly. “W-Well...” He dug through his brain. “How about, well, um... I don’t know... If instead of ‘every single thing’ it said ‘anything and everything,’ would that... fit? Well, probably not...” He blushed and adjusted his glasses. “It’s too cliché–”

Yuzu looked down at him with sparkling eyes, awestruck.

“That’s amazing!” she exclaimed. “That sounds so much better! Thanks, Kakeru-kun, you’re a lifesaver!”

Kakeru blushed even redder, and Yuzu hurried to grab her pencil to write the changed lyric down at once. She was so immersed in it that she barely noticed the buzzing of Kakeru’s phone.

Stepping away from his friend, who almost dropped the pencil out of excitement, Kakeru opened his phone and scrolled through his messages. The blood left his face. This was bad– really bad...

“...Kakeru-kun?”

He almost dropped the phone. “H-Huh? What? I mean, ye-ye-yes?”

Yuzu was staring at him with an odd look on her face. “Is everything okay?” she asked. “You suddenly look nervous...”

“A-Ah, um...” Kakeru fidgeted, trying to hide the phone behind his back. “Well, no, actually...”

She planted her hands on her hips. “What, did somebody hurt you? Who do you want me to fight?”

She looked like she’d actually do it.

“N-No!” Kakeru squeaked out, frantically waving a dissuading hand. “Nobody hurt me! Please don’t worry, Yuzu-chan! I-It’s just, um...” He paused, searching for the right words. “M-My big brother... kind of had a fight with his, um, hi-his crush yesterday and his friends texted me that it got even worse so, well, I’m a bit worried... My brother and his crush love each other a lot but they won’t admit it but everyone else can see it and well, this is a bit embarrassing but–”

“You’re trying to help them get together,” Yuzu finished the sentence for him. “Right? Right?”

“Well... yes...”

“That’s so cute!” Yuzu squealed out. “It’s just like a romance manga! Love angel Kakeru-kun! Awwwww, that’s so sweet!”

Kakeru shifted and shuffled uncomfortably. “Y-You think so?”

“Yes! Like a manga! I didn’t think those things happened for real–  _ow!_ ” In her fangirling fit Yuzu had overlooked the desk behind her and stubbed her toes against its leg. “You – oww ow ow – you have to tell me all about it sometime, all right? Ouch...” She took off her shoe to rub her toes. “But for now you have to see your brother and help him get the girl of his dreams, right?”

Kakeru turned pink. “W-Well...” he mumbled, “notexactlyagirl...”

“Whatever, tell me later! For now, go help him! You want to, right?” Yuzu put her shoe back on and started pushing Kakeru towards the door. “We can continue writing this song tomorrow!”

Kakeru stumbled and staggered. “But, but, but–”

“No buts! Does he need your help right now? He does, right?”

Yuzu had a point. In fact, she was sounding almost as urgent as Usui-san and Tsukushi-san who had both separately texted him about it just a moment ago.

“Yes...” Kakeru muttered, still unsure. “But...”

“Then go!” Yuzu struck a pose that vaguely reminded him of old magical girl shows, nearly hitting him in the face in the process. “Lovely Cupid Kakeru-kun, to the rescue with the power of love!”

She was really embarrassing, but it was the best encouragement he could have asked for.

“All right!” he said, bowing low. “Thank you very much, Yuzu-chan! See you tomorrow!”

She grinned and waved after him as he hurried off. “Bye-bye!”

Kakeru picked up his pace and ran all the way to the station.

\---

When he stepped into the store, his brother wasn’t there. Instead, the one sitting at the desk and observing him with a friendly smile was a man around the age of his parents, calm and friendly, with wrinkles of laughter surrounding his brown eyes and an old baseball cap on his head. For a second Kakeru wondered if he should quickly slip out and disappear, then the man spoke, his voice as warm and welcoming as his face.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “Can I help you with something, young man?”

Kakeru almost considered buying a set of shoelaces and getting out of here to wonder where his brother was, but he decided against it. “B-Big bro– I mean– Kimi– no– A-Atsu– I mean, um...” He nervously pushed back his glasses. “Th-The boy who’s usually here at this time of the day! Is he not here today?”

“Oh, my son?” the man said, and for some reason Kakeru wasn’t surprised. “Atsushi’s got today off. He looked very stressed today, so I told him to take a break and rest up.” He eyed Kakeru with curiosity. “You a friend of his? You look young.”

“Yes, I’m in middle school!” Kakeru declared truthfully, then he stopped in his tracks. What should he say? He couldn’t possibly tell this man that he was his former wife’s son from a different marriage! “I’m, um, well...”

“Don’t worry, I won’t pry.” The man smiled. “Atsushi doesn’t have friends visiting him a lot, so I just got curious is all. What’s your name, kid?”

“Ninomiya Kakeru,” Kakeru replied, bowing and hoping his brother’s father wouldn’t recognize the name. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

A slight shadow flickered over the man’s eyes. “Ninomiya, huh,” he muttered so quietly Kakeru barely caught the words. “So that’s why he looked familiar.”

The shadow passed as quickly as it came, and the next moment he was smiling brightly once more. “Ninomiya-kun, huh? The pleasure’s all mine! I’m Kimishita Tooru, by the way.” He grinned brightly. “Do you want to talk to Atsushi? I can call him down if you want. He’s upstairs, so...”

Kakeru just started to say, “Yes, please!” when light footsteps on the stairs interrupted him, and the next moment his brother emerged from the back of the store. “What’s the matter, Pops?”

“Oh, Atsushi! Impeccable timing. You sure you’re not psychic, son?” He didn’t react, and Kimishita Tooru started laughing. “Either way, visitor for you here. Very polite little guy, you’ve taught him well!” Kakeru blushed and looked at his feet as his brother blinked in shock. “Oh, and while you’re at it, mind manning this place for a moment? I’m all out of coffee.”

Then he was gone, and the brothers were left alone.

“Pops,” big brother muttered, staring after him. “Don’t tell me he figured out...?”

“I didn’t tell him anything,” Kakeru assured.

“I believe you. He’s like that. Sees through everything.” His brother clicked his tongue, sitting down at the desk. “So? What did you come here for?”

Kakeru took a deep breath. “Is it true that you still haven’t made up with Kiichi-san?”

His brother’s face twitched angrily. “That’s true,” he growled, glaring at him. “I refuse to apologize when this idiot started it all!”

“But, um, big brother...” Kakeru pulled off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, only to put them back on his nose dirtier than before. “I think Kiichi-san isn’t wrong.”

His brother blinked. “Wha–”

“I-I mean,” he continued, “maybe you don’t think so, but in my opinion it was definitely the both of you who helped me go this far, you know? Neither of you would have made it without the other. In my opinion it was a joint effort, so why are you fighting over who did it alone?”

His brother looked definitely uncomfortable now, half startled, half annoyed. “Don’t be stupid!” he snapped. “Even if we did it together, that’s no reason for the idiot to try and shove it down my throat!”

“But he does that because he cares about you!”

His brother’s face was distorted into an angry, embarrassed grimace, but his cheeks flushed pink. “Ah?”

“It’s true, big brother!” A thought flashed through Kakeru’s head, quick as lightning, and he didn’t hesitate to turn it into reality at once. “I’ll prove it to you!”

And with that he pulled out his phone and dialed Kiichi’s number.

“Wait,” his brother growled, suspicious. “What are you doing, brat?”

“Hello, Kiichi-san?” Kakeru said into the speaker as soon as he had picked up, ignoring his brother. “I’m very sorry to disturb you at this hour, but big brother is–”

His brother jumped over the desk and lunged for the phone.

“Stop it!” he hissed, trying to wrestle it from Kakeru’s hands. “What are you doing, you idiot?”

“Please help us, Kiichi-san!” Kakeru shouted into the phone, just barely holding it out of his brother’s grasp. “Big brother– you really need to– please help–”

His brother wrestled the phone away and hung up.

“Listen here, brat,” he growled. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, huh?”

Kakeru stumbled backwards, his heart suddenly pounding faster than it ever had in his life. “You’ll see,” he panted, the nervousness kicking in now that his stunt was over. “You’ll see in a few minutes.”

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for the door to swoosh open and Kiichi-san to storm in, breathless and worried.

“Kakeru! Kimishita!” he yelled, gasping for air. “What happened? Are you okay?”

His brother reached for the back of Kakeru’s shirt and grabbed it, pulling him up and making him dangle in the air. “Everything’s fine,” he grumbled. “It was all this idiot setting you up, and you idiot fell for it hook, line and sinker!”

Kiichi-san blinked. For a moment he relaxed completely, then anger spread all over his face.

“What the fuck!” he yelled, storming up to the cash desk. “Who you calling an idiot? I just thought something happened so I came here to check! If you think I wouldn’t do that then you’re the idiot, you idiot!”

“Only an idiot wouldn’t realize the call was fake!”

“Like I had time to do that! And what if I thought it was fake and it wasn’t? Be happy I ran all the way here just to check up on your ungrateful ass, you bastard!”

“Ah? Why should I be grateful for your moronic antics? I don’t need your pity, you imbecile!”

“I’m not doing this for you, asshat! It’s for me! I’m not gonna let anything happen to you ‘cause I don’t want to!”

Kakeru’s eyes went wide. His brother dropped him on the ground, his face flushing. Kiichi-san gaped at them both, realized what he said, and turned so bright red he looked like he was on fire.

Kakeru knew what was going to happen next. Kiichi-san would grumble some sort of excuse, big brother would get angry and yell at him, Kiichi-san would yell back, and in the end they would fight until one of them stormed off angrily and nothing would come of it. Again.

He couldn’t let that keep happening. Something had to be done, or this scenario would rinse and repeat forever.

“Kiichi-san!” he shouted, grabbing his brother’s wrist and bowing low. “My brother really likes you a lot! So please, um...” He swallowed. “Please meet him in front of the station at twelve this Sunday! It’s a date!”

Both high schoolers gaped at him, shocked, flushed and speechless.

Before either of them could regain their speech and call it off, Kakeru pulled his brother around the desk and past Kiichi-san, dragging him towards the door. He struggled, but it wasn’t until they were outside that he found his voice again.

“Kakeru,” he gasped, glowing red and furious. “What the– What the fu– What are you thinking? Where are you taking me, I have to man the store, you idiot–”

“Your father is doing that today!” Kakeru replied, dragging him along the street. “So we’re going to use your day off and find you some new clothes. I admire you for being able to pull these off–” he pointed at his brother’s star shirt and unflattering striped pants– “but in all honesty,” he cracked a smile, “they’re the least flattering it can get.”


	21. Almost Not a Date

Kimishita didn’t want to be here.

There were a million reasons why he’d rather be anywhere, everywhere but in this very place, at this very time. One, this place was crowded, crowded beyond all hell, chock-full of people bustling past him, hurrying to their trains, stepping outside, a large group of disoriented tourists moving like a hive mind, a giant map on legs that kept bumping into people, screaming children, stressed parents, small groups of teens that wouldn’t stop talking and chit-chatting at volumes and pitches and speeds that should definitely be classified as torture. Two, it was loud, and the kind of loud Kimishita absolutely, really couldn’t stand without wanting to kill someone. Three, he was wasting his time standing here while he could be doing something infinitely more productive.

And four, he didn’t want to go on a goddamn date with that goddamn idiot.

He didn’t know what Kakeru had been thinking, setting them up here. A date? Really? And what was all that talk with him liking Kiichi a lot? Fine, so he did, but not in the date way! This was stupid and pointless and embarrassing and honestly, Kimishita had only turned up because he hated ditching people and breaking promises. He just hoped Kiichi would do the same, because otherwise he’d break his neck for making him stand out here in this nightmarish place for absolutely no reason at all.

A group of girls passed by him, not-so-subtly pointing at him, whispering and giggling. Kimishita turned towards the window behind him to check if there was anything strange on his face before remembering his outfit. Oh right, that might be the reason.

The outfit he was currently wearing had to be the most expensive set of clothing he had ever owned in his life, all overpriced school uniforms included. Kakeru had dragged him from shop to shop for the whole rest of the afternoon, making him try on things for hours upon hours until he finally picked out clothes that looked just like the billion other ones he had tried and bought them. Kimishita had long given up on giving a damn by then; he had simply shut down his brains and numbly followed Kakeru through the shops, forcing himself not to look on the price tags to keep his head from exploding. Honestly, he hated clothes shopping. Couldn’t he just have grabbed a sufficiently cheap set in the right size and been done with it, as usual?

It wasn’t even that he looked all that amazing, no matter what Kakeru said. He had been stuffed into a black dress shirt that fit tighter than every other shirt he owned, excluding his Seiseki jersey, and dark washed, equally form-fitting jeans. Completing the look was a minimalistic blue blazer that didn’t even have buttons or pockets, as well as a pair of white sneakers that were just asking to get dirty, his usual blue-framed glasses (at least Kakeru had let him keep those, he thought), and a sleek silver necklace. Kakeru had even gone through the trouble of tying up part of his hair in a half-ponytail. Kimishita felt uncomfortable. He looked like one of those photoshopped pretty boys on the magazine covers, and it just wasn’t him.

“You’re handsome!” Kakeru had told him the other day. “Big brother, you may not realize it, but you’re very handsome, we need to play on that!”

It had come out of left field. Kimishita had never thought of himself as handsome before. He hadn’t been insecure about his appearance; he had simply thought of himself as average-looking, and that was enough for him because looks were shallow anyway. But handsome?

No way. Just very dolled up.

Damn it, he wanted his star shirt back.

Footsteps brought him back to reality, a familiar set of footsteps he could have told from a million, even in a crowded place like this. Sighing and adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves, he turned around.

“You’re not late, Kiichi. That’s a first.”

Kiichi opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He simply gaped at Kimishita with wide eyes, his jaw hanging open. Then he stepped back and gave him a hostile glare. “Who the fuck are you?”

Under any other circumstances Kimishita would have snapped at him, but this time he had a point. Kimishita wouldn’t have recognized himself. “Shut up,” he grumbled, sighing. “This is Kakeru’s doing. Don’t ask me.”

Kiichi blinked at him, the hostility fading from his face. He just looked surprised now, surprised and very, very puzzled. “Oh... uh.” Kimishita almost laughed at his stupid face. “It’s actually you.”

Kimishita mock-glared up at him. “No shit.”

“Sh-Shut up.” Kiichi was staring at him again, disbelieving, his face turning redder and redder and redder until he looked like his whole body was on fire. He opened his mouth and closed it again without saying a word. And still he kept on staring.

This was getting way too awkward.

“What?” Kimishita snapped impatiently, feeling his own face heat up. “I know I look stupid, move on!”

“You don’t!” Kiichi blurted out, then hurriedly turned away. “I mean... uh... Kakeru did a... Y-You look... uh... n-nice... shoelaces.”

Kimishita inadvertently glanced down at his shoelaces. They were nothing special.

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically. “Now snap out of it!” Seriously, why was  _he_  getting embarrassed by Kiichi’s strange behavior? His face was starting to feel very red too, and he didn’t like it at all. What was wrong with him?

And... was it just him, or had Kiichi put even more effort into his appearance than he usually did?

_Stop it._  He needed to stop. First of all he had to distract them both before they got stuck in a vicious cycle of blushing and staring.

“We should get out of here before my eardrums get shattered,” he grumbled, glaring at the nearby group of teens who were shrieking with laughter. “And just so you know,” he added sharply, “I didn’t come here because I wanted to. Kakeru forced me. I don’t go on dates, I have better things to do.”

Kiichi crossed his arms and gave an affirmative huff. “Good,” he said. “I wouldn’t wanna go on a stupid date with you either. Kakeru’s a good kid but sometimes he’s a real dumbass.”

“Ah?” Kimishita straightened and glared, cracking his knuckles. “What did you just say about my brother, huh?”

“I thought he wasn’t your bro!”

“I’ve been proven wrong! So I changed my views, like any reasonable adult should!”

Kiichi smiled smugly. “So you admit I was right?”

“For once! Statistically speaking, it was bound to happen at some point!”

“You said that when I was right about Kakeru’s problem too!”

“Oh, and who found out about it? Not  _you!_  Get off your high horse!”

“I was right,” Kiichi chimed, smiling from ear to ear, “and you said it.”

Kimishita felt very, very tempted to punch him, but something held him back. His face... Something about that stupid smile wasn’t as irritating as usual. Was it any different today? Yes, now that he thought about it... Kiichi didn’t look as smug. Most of all he looked innocently happy, as if he had been praised.

_Cute._

Kimishita took that thought and stuffed it back into the very depths of his mind where it came from, slamming and locking the door after it. He was  _not_  thinking about that. No need to make things complicated.

“So, uh,” Kiichi said after an awkward moment’s silence, “where do you wanna go?”

Kimishita’s stomach growled, predicting his answer. “First of all,” he said with a click of his tongue, “let’s find something to eat. This stupid so-called date has robbed me of my lunchtime.”

\---

The blonde girl who had been standing a few feet away, pretending to be texting on her phone, perked up and peered over the rim of her sunglasses, pursing her bright pink lips.

“They’re gonna go get food,” she whispered into her phone, suddenly sounding suspiciously masculine. “Let’s lead them somewhere romantic. I’m gonna tail them and keep you updated.”

“Okay, roger,” Satou’s voice whispered back from the speaker. “Don’t let them catch you.”

“C’mon, don’t worry about that.” Kazama pushed up his fake breasts, posed and winked at no one in particular and grinned, whispering back in a very convincing falsetto. “Nobody’s gonna suspect this gorgeous hottie’s actually a dude!”

Satou sounded exasperated. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Well, duh! I’ve always wanted to wear a frilly dress and high heels in public. Too bad you can’t see my eyeshadow– ah, hold on, my bestie’s arrived! Over here, Tsukushi!”

He smiled and waved excitedly at a dark-haired girl with twin braids, jeans and ballet flats who hurriedly stumbled up to him. “You look amazing, Kazama-kun!” the ‘girl’ whispered excitedly. “Just like a real girl! How do you walk on these shoes?”

Kazama winked and hooked their arms together. “Years of practice. Come on, Tsuku-chan!” He pulled his companion along, walking impressively fast on his stiletto heels. “Today is girl day. Just the two of us ladies, right?”

“Not bad,” Hayase muttered from behind a potted plant not too far off, lowering his own phone. “He’d actually make an impressive chick.”

Usui smiled and pulled him up. “Don’t get caught up in staring at women,” he reprimanded him gently. “Remember, we still have a job to do. Don’t drop your disguise.”

As if on cue, from behind every plant, pillar, booth, and corner, groups of people emerged and silently put themselves on the reluctant couple’s tail.

\---

“How about this one?”

“No, no, no, not romantic enough! Make it look crowded so they don’t go in! But don’t let them see your faces!” Haibara slipped from shadow to shadow like a ninja, continuously whispering into his phone. “Inohara, you know a place, right? The one you went to with your girlfriend?”

“We went there for dinner,” his best friend’s voice replied. “It’s nearby, but I don’t know how romantic it is at lunchtime.”

“Better than nothing! Get them in there!” Haibara ducked behind an old lady and narrowly avoided being spotted. “Tell us where it is, Inohara! Kazama, Tsukamoto, don’t lose them in the crowd!”

“Roger!”

\---

Kimishita was getting really impatient.

“Crowded again,” he growled as they passed by the next delicious-smelling restaurant. “Why is every place we pass so fucking crowded?”

“‘Cause it’s lunchtime,” Kiichi replied bluntly, as if that was such an obvious explanation.

“You don’t say!” Kimishita snapped back, his stomach giving an impatient growl. “That can’t be the only reason, you imbecile! It’s not like we’re in some fucking tourist spot all of a sudden!”

They passed by another restaurant. Also crowded. Was it Kimishita’s imagination, or did he keep seeing the same people in every place they passed?

Damn it, he was  _starving_.

“What are these all these people doing here?” he hissed, glaring daggers at the large group near the entrance. “I bet they’ve all finished eating and are just staying for two more hours to  _talk_. Fucking antisocial bastards.”

Kiichi scowled at another crowded restaurant. “I’m gonna kick their ass,” he grumbled. “They’re gonna be sorry for making you starve.”

Kimishita forgot to be angry for a second. Was Kiichi’s considerate side emerging again? No, not even considerate... he sounded almost protective.

“Don’t bother,” he muttered, not meeting his eyes. “I understand the feeling, but getting in trouble will only get us kicked out. If we keep walking long enough we should–” He paused as his eyes set on a miraculous sight. “Look at that... Is that one open?”

Only a little way off was a small restaurant with actual free tables.

They glanced at each other and both hurried along the street, up to the entrance. It was indeed open, and only a few people sat inside, enjoying their meals.

Kiichi stepped up to the door without hesitation. “Let’s go before they steal all the seats here too.”

Kimishita hesitated. This was suspicious. Why was this place the only one in the area with free tables? That couldn’t say much good about this restaurant. “Wait,” he said, grabbing Kiichi’s arm and yanking him back. “I don’t trust this place. If it’s so empty it’s probably either overpriced or bad.”

Kiichi turned around to argue, but at this very moment a pair of girls passed them, one a blonde, frilly flash of pink, the other one small and plain and hiding behind the first one. “Anyway, you  _have_  to try the food here!” the blonde was saying to her friend. “I just went here last week and oh my god, it’s like, the best pasta I’ve ever had. Good thing not many people know it yet, right?” And with that she looped her arm around her friend’s shoulders and pulled her into the restaurant.

Kimishita gazed after them. His stomach growled. There were free tables, and the food seemed to be good. Very good, if he were to believe that tacky girl.

“See? She says it’s good,” Kiichi said, opening the door. “Let’s go.”

Kiichi held the door for him and they stepped inside. Lying behind the door was a small, cozy place, filled with wooden furniture and warm colors and the delicious scent of freshly-made food drifting over from the kitchen. A waitress spotted them while they were still looking around, smiled, and led them to a free table for two a little way off from the other guests.

“This place looks good,” Kiichi said as he looked through the menu. “Wonder why it’s so empty.”

Kimishita frowned suspiciously. “Maybe the price tags.”

But the prices looked normal, and Kimishita’s suspicion faded a little as he, too, started looking through the menu. Probably shouldn’t pick out something too expensive. He didn’t have that much money on him.

“I know what you think,” Kiichi said, lowering his menu card to give him a long look. “Don’t pick out some cheap shit. I’m paying.”

Since when was that guy a psychic? “But–”

“I’m paying,” Kiichi insisted, crossing his arms. “Eat what you want.”

“Getting generous, are we? How rare.” Kimishita smirked to distract from the growing blush on his face. “Fine, I’ll accept for today. Don’t let it get to your head.”

The waitress returned a moment later to take their orders, then she disappeared into the kitchen and quickly came back with napkins, forks, knives and spoons for each one of them, as well as their drinks.

Silence.

Kimishita let his gaze roam around, wondering if he should say something. It had become strangely quiet. All the other guests around them were eating in silence. Even the chatty blonde and her friend had gone quiet, each one gazing off into a different direction, seemingly lost in thought. Kimishita’s eyes strayed back to Kiichi. His not-date looked as strangely awkward as Kimishita felt, drumming his fingers on the table and staring at his hand, as if trying to think of a way to start a conversation.

The silence dragged on.

“Hey,” Kiichi said at last. “Where do you wanna go next?”

“Next?” Kimishita repeated, frowning in consideration. He hadn’t thought about that at all. He hadn’t thought any further than saving himself from starvation; anything beyond that had seemed irrelevant so far. Did they even have to do something after that? Kakeru had only told them when and where to meet up, not what to do or how much time to spend together. Wouldn’t they have fulfilled their duty by eating lunch together?

Did Kiichi  _want_  to spend more time with him?

And now that he thought about it... wouldn’t he be disappointed if they didn’t?

“I don’t know,” he said, averting his eyes. “It’s not like we need to go anywhere else. Where do you want to go?”

“Mmm...” Kiichi pursed his lips in thought. “The arcade.”

“Why the arcade?”

“It’s not far. And I wanna play games.”

“All right.” Kimishita smirked at him. “Don’t sulk if I defeat you.”

“You’re not gonna beat me. I’m better than you!”

Kimishita snorted. “We’ll see about that.”

They exchanged a stupid grin. Another silence.

“And after that?” Kiichi finally asked, not looking at him anymore. “After the arcade.”

Kiichi still wanted to spend more time with him?

That was ridiculous. The day would be almost over when they left the arcade. Kimishita didn’t want to be out until midnight. And yet...

Damn it. He was happy.

“We’ll see about that,” he said, bringing up a hand to hide the blush spreading over his face. “Whatever we feel like... I guess.”

“Excuse me!”

Their waitress had arrived again, holding a giant steaming plate of spaghetti that she put down in front of Kiichi. “Please enjoy your food!” She turned to Kimishita, and her smile faded. “I’m very sorry, yours is delayed, we’ll do our best to hurry up...”

“Take your time,” Kimishita said through gritted teeth, trying not to scowl or glare as the poor woman hurried off. It wasn’t her fault, and he of all people knew what it meant to work in customer service. He had to be nice to her. Not that it was easy, with a growling stomach and a goddamn humongous delicious-smelling plate of spaghetti right under his goddamn nose.

His food better hurry up, or he’d kill someone.

Kiichi looked at him for a moment, then he took his plate and pushed it in the middle between them. “Have some.”

Kimishita almost choked on nothing. “What the–?!”

“Have some,” Kiichi said flatly. “You look hungry.”

Seriously?!

What was with this guy and being  _so goddamn considerate today?_

“Shut up,” Kimishita hissed, grabbing his fork and knife. “I don’t need your pity, you imbecile! But...” His voice trailed off. His face turned red. “Th-Thanks for the food.”

He and Kiichi both twirled spaghetti on their forks and took a bite. Kimishita closed his eyes. It was delicious. Piping hot and sweet and sour and just the right amount of spicy, the tastes of the sauce mingling with perfectly-cooked noodles. It tasted incredible.

His hunger taking over with a vengeance, Kimishita took another bite, and another and another. Across from him Kiichi did the same. His own missing food was forgotten. He had to have more of this. More and more–

Kimishita took a bite and started slurping down a particularly long noodle. Across from him Kiichi did the same thing. Little by little their faces grew closer and closer as they chewed–

Were they trying to eat the  _same_  noodle?

Kimishita sat back, biting it off. His heart was beating too fast. His face was burning. What had just happened? If he hadn’t cut it off–

_Don’t think about that._

The last bit of the spaghetti noodle disappeared between Kiichi’s lips, and Kimishita’s mouth felt dry. He knew he shouldn’t be making a big deal about this. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about this at all, but as his eyes rested on Kiichi’s lips that suddenly looked so unexpectedly soft and pillowy, he couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t bit it off.

By the time his own food arrived he barely registered it anymore. He just gulped it down without a thought, glad he didn’t have to share this plate with Kiichi too.

One awkward moment was more than enough, thank you.

\---

“They  _what?_ ”

“It’s true! Just like  _Lady and the Tramp!_ ” Kazama’s voice whispered from the speaker, sounding as if he was struggling to keep his voice down. “But Kimishita-kun broke it off!”

Several voices groaned at once. Haibara raked his hands through his hair. Hayase face-palmed. Even Usui sounded frustrated, heaving a heavy sigh as he shook his head. “Kimishita...”

“Oh, but Kimishita-senpai looked very embarrassed!” Tsukamoto added, sounding even more excited than his companion. “He’s still red... Maybe, um... something will happen today?”

“Let’s not give up hope,” Inohara replied, still sounding calm, but the ones who knew him better caught the mild disappointment in his voice. “Where are they going now?”

“The arcade,” Kazama replied. “Who’s gonna sub in for us? We can’t keep tailing them forever, they’re gonna get suspicious.”

Usui smiled. “First-years! This looks like a task for you.”

Four voices gasped simultaneously, with varying degrees of surprise and terror.

“Why us?” Kurusu blurted out.

“Why not?” Mizuki replied bluntly. “It’s fun. I’m going with you if you want.”

Hayase grabbed his arm. “Here you stay! You’re gonna get caught!”

“Actually,” Haibara replied, hands on his hips, “that’s a great idea! Why don’t we all go?” He held his phone close to his mouth. “Guys, who’s up for an afternoon at the arcade?”

\---

Ooshiba hadn’t expected much out of today, but he was enjoying himself. A lot.

When he had left home this morning he had half expected Kimishita not to show up, and even if he did, he hadn’t thought much would come of this meeting. He had gone out fully expecting to return home disappointed, daring to hope for nothing more than a brief meet-up at the station, a mutual agreement that this wasn’t a date, and maybe a stupid argument at most. No matter what else he had secretly wished for, he had definitely never expected... any of  _this_.

He hadn’t expected to turn up and find Kimishita looking so different that he almost hadn’t recognized him at first. Kakeru had done a good job. In these clothes, with this hairstyle, Kimishita didn’t look half as lame as he usually did in casual clothes. Actually, he almost looked good– no, scratch that, he looked breathtakingly gorgeous, and not even Ooshiba could deny that to himself. Kimishita had always been kind of pretty. He was beautiful when he played soccer, but he had never looked so  _handsome_  before. Classy, stylish... cool but sophisticated.

Now he just had to start playing soccer in that outfit, and he’d become the pinnacle of beauty.

Ooshiba smiled. He hadn’t expected Kimishita to actually go somewhere with him, much less to agree to hanging out together after lunch, but here they were, making their way to the arcade, side by side. His insides felt warm. That prickly, antisocial jerk was actually going places with him and not even complaining, and it made him so damn happy. Kimishita didn’t do that for just anyone. He was special.

And Kimishita was special to him too.

He was glad they weren’t ignoring each other anymore.

They entered the arcade and looked around. Kimishita’s eyes were suspiciously wide as he took in all the machines and sounds and blinking colorful lights, almost as if he had never been to an arcade before. Ooshiba knew that look. It was the same one he always had when he saw something totally normal for the first time.

He liked that look on him. It wasn’t a side of Kimishita that a lot of people knew, but Ooshiba did. He did, and he was proud of that.

“Never been here before?” he asked, a smug smile spreading over his face. “I can show you around, just follow me.”

Kimishita blinked and snapped out of his daze. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he replied, piercing green eyes glaring up at Ooshiba from the side. “Arcades are nothing special. I never went to one because they’re loud and troublesome.”

“You just couldn’t afford ‘em,” Ooshiba shot back.

“No shit! Even if I did have the money, I wouldn’t go around wasting it on stupid games!”

“They’re not stupid! You just don’t get it ‘cause you got a stick up your ass!”

“Say that again when I’ve defeated you at all of them!”

“You wanna go?”

“That’s what we’re here for, idiot!”

Ooshiba couldn’t think of anything clever to reply to that, so he stuck out his tongue and stomped off towards a car-racing game, dead-set on putting that stupid asshole in his place. That guy was always about practice this, practice that, so time to beat him at his own game! When it came to gaming practice, Ooshiba was definitely centuries ahead of that stupid nerd who couldn’t even tell an Xbox from a PS4.

He was so going to win this one!

“Fuck!” he yelled a minute later, jumping up and slamming down his controller, stomping his foot in fury. “What the fuck! You cheated! You cheated, you stupid cheating bastard! Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!”

“Like hell I cheated!” Kimishita yelled back, glaring at the people who had turned to look at them in curiosity. “Your own fault if you slip on your own banana peel, moron! The only thing you lost to was your own stupidity!”

“You tricked me! Fuck you!”

“How on earth was I supposed to trick you? You were doing a fine job by yourself!”

“Not fair!” Ooshiba stomped his foot again. “Rematch! I want a rematch! And play fair this time!”

“I was playing fair, idiot!” Kimishita scowled. “Use your head this time, maybe then you’ll stand a chance!” He clicked his tongue, lowering his voice to a stage whisper. “Now sit the fuck down, people are staring!”

Ooshiba pouted, scowled at him, and did as he was told, pushing the button to start a new match. Fine, so Kimishita had beat him this time. So what? Beginners’ luck! He was definitely getting back on him now!

Except...

“You liar!” he burst out, jumping to his feet and grabbing Kimishita by the collar, yanking him up. “You said you’ve never been here before! Like hell you’re a beginner, you fucking liar!”

“Ah? I never lied, you imbecile!” Kimishita scowled up at him, grabbing Ooshiba’s collar in return. “How is it my fault that you’re worse at this than a beginner?”

“Liar! You totally lied!” Ooshiba slammed their foreheads together so hard even he saw stars. “Stop lying, you stupid liar!”

“Liar, liar, liar! Don’t you have anything else in your vocabulary?” Tearing himself free, Kimishita sat back down, picking up the controller again and glancing over his shoulder with a challenging look. “If you’re so good at this game why don’t you prove it, Kiichi?”

Ooshiba clenched his fists and sat down next to him. This time. This time for sure. Third time’s the charm, or however that phrase went.

It started out well. Ooshiba instantly darted ahead, leaving Kimishita far behind as he raced along the track, laughing smugly. “See?” he declared. “That’s how good I am! How does it feel to be the loser, huh, Kimi–”

As he spoke he stopped focusing on the screen and steered his car off the bridge he was supposed to cross and into the river underneath it, where it slowly went under.

Ooshiba stared at the screen with blank disbelief on his face.

Kimishita gave a snort. His expression slipped, and he burst out laughing, almost falling backwards off his chair while Ooshiba still stared at the screen and then at him.

His face turned bright red with embarrassment and anger. “Shut up!” he snapped, crossing his arms, pouting and glaring defensively. “What the fuck is so fucking funny, asshole?”

Kimishita tried to reply, but another laughing fit stopped him, making him slump over as he sat, wheezing, unable to speak. Ooshiba squirmed, unsure how to feel. He wanted to stay angry, but his fury had long evaporated. It had been forever since he had last seen Kimishita laughing, honestly, openly laughing, and the sight was still every bit as incredible as it had been back then. It was a sight that made butterflies stir in Ooshiba’s stomach, a giddy feeling that crept throughout his body and made a stupid smile spread all over his face. Suddenly he didn’t know what he had been so angry about. His loss really had been stupid. Steering his car into the water while bragging about how good he was, seriously? That was dumb. And pretty funny.

And before he knew what was happening Ooshiba was laughing too, laughing until his sides hurt and his eyes watered and he was all out of breath, and every time the two of them calmed down a little they would look at each other and start laughing again. Damn it, Ooshiba wasn’t even laughing about his mess-up anymore. He was just happy, happy to be here with Kimishita, happy to have made him laugh when he rarely ever did. He wanted to laugh together more. He wanted to see more of that rare happy face, even if it meant embarrassing himself sometimes.

“Ah, shit,” Kimishita finally said when he had regained his breath enough to talk. “I forgot to pause the game.” He pointed at the screen, where his own car had crashed into a tree and come to rest upside-down in the grass among some stupid colorful flowers.

They both snorted and grinned again, wiping off tears of laughter but unable to wipe the smiles off their faces. Ooshiba still felt giddy. Kimishita’s smile was... it was... so–

He didn’t know what to call it. But it was good. And directed at him, with that sparkle of mischief and joy in his eyes, it was the best thing in the world.

It made him want to... he didn’t know what, exactly. Hug him? Kiss him? Wrap his arms around him and hold him like that for the rest of the day?

Maybe. He didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted to stay close to this Kimishita, as close as he could.

“Let’s go,” he asked, getting up and taking Kimishita’s wrist on impulse, pulling him up to his feet beside him. “Let’s try something else next. What do you wanna play?”

\---

Kimishita’s heart felt oddly light as he followed Kiichi through the arcade, playing game after game, sometimes winning, sometimes losing, completely forgetting about the passage of time. Sometimes he won and watched Kiichi sulk and throw childish tantrums, sometimes he lost and Kiichi smiled the stupidest smile as he bragged about his innate skills. Normally Kimishita should be annoyed at both, but today there was something about Kiichi that kept bringing smiles to his face, smiles of amusement and fondness as he watched the hundreds of funny expressions that crossed Kiichi’s stupid face with every new moment.

It was fun. It was loud and crowded and incredibly fun, even though Kimishita hadn’t even planned to come here, even though he didn’t even like socializing. Everything was full of bright colors and flashing lights like a different world, and for the moment Kimishita allowed himself to get lost in it and forget about everything outside the doors.

He was glad. Glad that he had come to this meet-up, glad that Kiichi had taken him here. Glad that they were spending this day together. Kimishita didn’t know why or how, but he felt completely at ease. Like he didn’t need to put his guard up around Kiichi. He had allowed himself to laugh around him awhile ago, something he was normally too embarrassed to do, but for some reason it all seemed to come naturally when he was with Kiichi, like they had always been this way. Maybe they had. They had known each other for four long years, no, four and a half by now, and even through their bickering and mutual annoyance they had grown comfortable around each other, maybe more comfortable than they were with anyone else.

He should worry about these feelings. He should wonder if it was really a good idea to show them, with Kakeru and possibly others already thinking they were in love. He should worry about Kiichi thinking he might love him too. He should worry if this feeling he had really was love, but all that could wait until later. Just now, for these few hours, he could afford to just take a break and enjoy himself.

\---

“Alright!” Haibara jumped in the air, pumping his fists in triumph. “And it’s my win again! Woo!”

The first-years cheered. The other third-years looked a little less happy, some of them seeming a little disgruntled, others just smiling quietly to themselves. “You’re good at these games, Haibara,” Usui remarked. “I had no idea.”

“You’re good too!” Haibara replied, still grinning. “Okay, who’s up next? One at a time!”

“Me!” Kurusu shouted at once.

“Hey!” Nitobe shot back, grabbing his arm. “You got a turn just a few minutes ago! The rest of us want to play too!”

“Hey, I haven’t played in ages! You got to just now!”

“That didn’t count, I lost after two seconds!”

“A chance to play’s a chance to play!”

“Um...” Nakijin stepped between them, looking a little helpless. “I’ve only played one single game all day, so...”

“Oh, right! Nakki! Nakki’s playing!” Shiratori shouted, pushing him in front, quickly joined by the other two. “Nakki, say something earlier!”

“But after that I’m playing!” Kurusu insisted again.

“As if!” Nitobe shouted back. “I’m up next!”

“Hey now, first-years.” Hayase marched up to them and hit them both over their heads. “You’re not playing alone! Have some respect, will you?”

They shrank a little. “Yes, sir...”

“But you’re not playing after Nakki either, Haya-chan!” Kazama piped in, now changed out of his girl costume. “I’m up first!”

“Say what? You’ve been hogging all the games! Give us a chance too!”

“But you just had one, Hayase!” Kokubo said from the side.

Hayase gaped at his friend in betrayal. “Kokubo, you traitor–”

“Um... S-Sorry to interrupt, but where did Kimishita-senpai and Ooshiba-senpai go?”

Silence. Everyone turned around to stare at Tsukushi, all color draining from their faces.

“Uh...”

“First-years! I told you to watch them!”

“But Haibara-senpai, you’re the one who invited us to play! You said you’d watch them!”

“I did! They went that way... I think... Inohara, didn’t you see anything?”

“I don’t know...”

“Crap, where are they?”

“Shut up, they’ll hear you! Don’t panic!”

“There, there, everyone calm down–”

“We lost them! We lost them!”

“Okay, everybody swarm out!”

“Wait, what’s the time?”

“It can’t be that late! How long did we spend in here?”

“Your watch must be wrong!”

“What if they left?”

“Don’t panic! Don’t panic!”

“Uh...” Mizuki pointed in the direction of the exit. “I think I saw them heading this way a minute ago.”

\---

The whole Seiseki soccer club, still dressed in various disguises, crowded in the exit of the arcade, looking in every direction at once as they tried to make out their teammates in the crowded street.

“Can you see them?” Kazama asked, standing on his tip-toes and trying to peer over his taller teammates’ shoulders.

“No,” came the answers from various directions.

“We should think logically,” Usui replied, still somehow sounding calm amid all the chaos. “If you were Kimishita and Shiba, which way would you–”

“Inohara, let me climb on your shoulders! Maybe I’ll spot them from there!”

“Great. Why not just make a human pyramid?”

“Nobody asked you! Or did you spot them anywhere?”

“In this crowd? They could be anywhere!”

“Quick, we’re losing time!”

“All right, all right! Inohara!”

Haibara climbed on Inohara’s shoulders, searching every last inch of the surroundings to find no trace of Ooshiba’s unmistakable mop of red hair and Kimishita’s lean silhouette beside him. They had completely disappeared.

“Nothing!” he groaned, climbing back down and pulling at his hair. “Ah, dammit! And in the end nothing happened at all!”

“Yeah, well,” Kazama grinned sheepishly, “knowing them, at least we’re probably not gonna miss anything.”

\---

“I didn’t know this was close to the arcade,” Kimishita said, looking around the dark, empty soccer pitch. He didn’t know how or why, but after leaving the arcade they had somehow found themselves turning a few corners and walking down a familiar road, and now they were here again, on the very pitch where it had all begun, so many months ago. It was deserted now, the last players finally gone after practice, leaving only the two of them as they stepped onto the grass.

“Yup,” Kiichi said quietly, gazing into the distance. “I used to go there a ton in middle school.”

Kimishita raised an eyebrow. “So that’s where you were when you weren’t at practice, huh?”

“Shut up. I’m a genius, I could skip practice sometimes.”

“The genius who made me tell him he’s lacking intelligence, intelligence and intelligence?”

“Fuck off! Let that die!”

“The genius who still asks me how to spell simple words?”

Kiichi huffed. “I’m a soccer genius. I don’t gotta know how to spell shit.”

“Say that again when you come crying to me because you can’t play after failing your exams again.”

“That rule is shit. I don’t need no education.”

“Oh, right. Your head’s so full of ego there’s not much room for knowledge.”

“Hey!”

Kimishita smirked and threw a light punch at his shoulder, and Kiichi grinned back and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head down and letting go again. Silence fell. For a little while there was nothing but the two of them, side by side, the pitch spreading out in front of them, a sky full of stars above, and it was like they were back in middle school, taking a breather after staying behind after practice and going back through the day in their minds, each thinking of his own things but still connected.

It made him want to play again.

“Too bad they left no balls behind,” Kiichi said next to him, speaking out his thoughts. “I kinda wanna play.”

Kimishita looked around, searching. “Maybe we can use something else.”

“Like what?”

“Beats me. When I was a kid we’d sometimes use tin cans or empty bottles when we didn’t have a ball, but–”

“Wait a sec.” Kiichi’s face lit up, and he ran off, quickly returning with an empty drink can. “There ya go.”

Kimishita frowned. “Where did you find this?”

“Uh...”

“You didn’t...” Kimishita scowled suspiciously at the garbage can at the side of the street, “dig through  _that_... did you?”

“It’s a tin can. You wanna play or not?”

Kimishita heaved a sigh, swallowed down his protests and clicked his tongue. “All right,” he grumbled. “Just wash your hands later if you insist on going through trash. Let’s go.”

Kimishita couldn’t believe this. Kimishita couldn’t believe he was actually here, a fully grown seventeen-year-old, kicking around an empty drink can like he hadn’t done in at least ten years. He was too old for that. But there was no such thing as “too old” when he was with Kiichi; that idiot turned everyone back into children, and as annoying and embarrassing as it normally was, right now it was nothing but fun, running over the grass and chasing a stupid can and searching for it when they kicked it too far and pretending they had never left this place, this very spot that had brought them both to where they were now. Nobody but Kiichi was watching anyway. Just for the moment, Kimishita could afford to let himself be a child again.

They played for what seemed like forever. In the end they both fell down on the grass, side by side, breathless and exhausted and unable to wipe the silly grins off their faces. For a while they simply lay there, looking up at the sky as their hands found each other and Kiichi’s fingers curled around Kimishita’s palm.

It was a strangely romantic gesture. But oddly enough, he didn’t mind.

“We should pick up the can,” he said quietly, trying to make it out on the pitch. “It’s littering if we leave it there.”

“Yup.”

“And maybe we should head home. It’s getting late, my old man must be worried.”

“Mm.”

Kimishita turned. “Why aren’t you moving?”

“You aren’t either.”

“Come on, get up.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Kimishita clicked his tongue, wondering if he should get up and pull Kiichi to his feet, but he didn’t move either. “Come on, on three. One, two–”

They walked back to the station, got on a train and rode home. Almost no one was around anymore. They got off and continued walking through the familiar streets, and not once did Kiichi let go of Kimishita’s hand.

He didn’t mind. If anything it felt nice, having Kiichi here, right next to him, warm hand curled around his own.

At long last they arrived at Kimishita’s door and stopped, glancing at each other, unsure what to say. Kiichi stared down at his feet, reluctantly letting go of Kimishita’s hand to rake his fingers through his bangs. Even in the dark Kimishita knew he was blushing.

Honestly, they probably both were.

_Say something. Anything._

But Kiichi said nothing. He simply continued staring at his feet and blushing, and suddenly Kimishita knew exactly what to do.

Pushing aside his worries and doubts, he got on his tip-toes, reached for the collar of Kiichi’s shirt, and pulled him down into a kiss.

\---

Kakeru hurried along the streets. All day he had waited for a message from his brother or Kiichi-san, but nothing had come. Neither had said anything about how today’s date had gone, and Kakeru honestly couldn’t tell if this was a good or a bad thing.

He picked up his pace, rounded the corner that led up to his brother’s house– and stopped.

Standing in front of the door were two familiar figures, arms wrapped closely around each other as their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

Turning away and slipping back down the street, Kakeru smiled.


	22. One Big Family

It was subtle at first. For some people it wasn’t noticeable immediately, but little by little the entire Seiseki team caught on that something had changed.

It wasn’t that Kimishita and Ooshiba suddenly acted more in love after the date. If anything they acted less obviously in love than before; Ooshiba no longer annoyed Kimishita to get his attention, and Kimishita didn’t lash out at every little thing he did, and both of them acted less like a pair of grade schoolers with crushes and more like very good friends. Because it wasn’t like they had suddenly stopped liking each other – they simply seemed more casual around each other than before, talking little but usually not straying too far away from each other as they seemed to go on day by day, communicating almost entirely without words.

Their teammates couldn’t comprehend what had happened. They were glad, of course; the teamwork between Kimishita and Ooshiba had never worked so well, and their sudden calm attitude made interacting with them a million times easier. But that didn’t mean it made any sense. How could one shared lunch and an afternoon at the arcade change so much between them?

“Maybe they confessed,” Kazama said jokingly as the team watched the odd pair leave the club room after practice, side by side and without speaking a word, as usual. “Look at them. Don’t they kinda look like a couple?”

“Yeah, right!” Satou replied from the other side of the room. “You think these two would just man up and start dating after years of denial?”

Suzuki sighed quietly. “That’d be too good to be true.”

“At their current pace they need at least five more years to realize they’re in love and two more to ask each other out,” Hayase added, rolling his eyes. “Maybe they’ll get together by the time they hit thirty.”

Usui looked from one to the other and simply smiled. “Well,” he said, “until they tell us themselves, there’s no point in speculating. Maybe they’re just glad to have made up again.”

\---

Kimishita wasn’t sure what he and Kiichi were now, exactly, but he sure as hell didn’t dislike it.

At first he had worried what would happen after the kiss, if things would get awkward between them again, but oddly enough nothing of the sort had happened. Kiichi had kissed him back and waved him goodbye when they finally parted, and the next morning he had casually sat down next to him in the club room without speaking a word, silently remaining by his side until they both had to go to their separate classrooms. During lunch break Kiichi had appeared in his classroom again, lunch in hand, and they had found a quiet spot to eat together, rarely speaking but occasionally exchanging little snacks from their lunches; and after school Kiichi had left with him, taking his hand as soon as the school gate was out of sight and walking him home. The same thing had repeated the next day, and the day after, and by now Kimishita was close to calling it a routine.

He liked it. No, he loved it. He loved having Kiichi’s steady presence at his side at all times, always only an arm’s reach away whenever he turned to look for him. He loved spending time alone with Kiichi, sharing food and walking together and holding his hand and leaning against him or sharing small kisses when no one was watching. He loved the connection they shared, the way they barely needed words to understand what the other was thinking because they knew each other so well. He loved this feeling. He loved Kiichi, too, and whatever it was that they had right now, he hoped it wouldn’t change.

Maybe he should ask him about it, ask what it was, if they were a couple or if he wanted to become one. But then again...

Maybe not.

No need to ruin this calm, soothing feeling with stupid questions.

\---

“By the way, Kakeru.”

Kakeru looked up from his dinner to face his mother, who was sitting down across from him with a plate full of food. “Yes?”

“Where did you suddenly go the other night?”

Kakeru swallowed. Where did that come from? Of all the things he had expected his mother to ask, this wasn’t one! Why had she suddenly brought that up? True, he had been pretty vague when he had run out after dinner, but still... why now?

“U-Um...” he stuttered, adjusting his glasses and racking his brain for a good excuse. “W-W-Well, that was... you see...”

His mother continued to look at him, her expression unreadable. “Did it have anything to do with those high school boys?” she asked. “The ones who carried you home when you fell asleep?”

Kakeru jumped. “N-N-No! I mean... w-well, a little, but... Wha-Wha-What made you think that?”

“Well, your girl from the band has never asked you anywhere this late.” His mother crossed her arms. “Same thing goes for your classmates. Doesn’t leave many others to choose from.”

Crap, his mother was way too smart! “W-Well, um...”

“Are they all right?”

Kakeru paused. Was it just him, or did his mother sound genuinely concerned? For two people she had only met once, and briefly? That wasn’t like her at all.

Did she  _know_...?

“Yes!” Kakeru replied, and his mother relaxed. “They have never been better!”

His mother smiled slightly, and Kakeru couldn’t help wondering if she had recognized his big brother as her son. It was unlikely, but... why else would she worry about him? Did she still care about him after all these years?

And if she did, why had she left him in the first place?

\---

The week ended, Kimishita and Ooshiba disappeared side by side again, and the rest of Seiseki was left asking questions once more.

Their behavior still hadn’t changed. They were the same as they had been ever since Monday, and still there had been no explanation. At this point everyone was growing uncomfortable. Seeing them getting along so well for so long was creepy; at this point everyone almost missed their usual fights, wondering how much longer this unnatural peace would go on before it exploded and they went back to normal again.

“This is creepy,” Kurusu whispered as soon as the pair had disappeared out of earshot. “Just what in the world happened between them?”

Nitobe groaned. “Tell me about it. It’s like someone took them and replaced them with lookalikes!”

Even Nakijin looked concerned. “I don’t trust this peace anymore... It’s like the calm before the storm...”

“I know, right?” Shiratori leaned back against his locker. “I never thought I’d want them to fight someday!”

“Hey now, that’s not a very nice thing to wish on somebody.” Usui smiled, but even he looked a little exasperated. “But... I think I know what you mean. This is pretty jarring.”

“It’s not normal!” Haibara shouted from the other side of the room. “They haven’t fought in almost a week, that’s never happened before! They couldn’t even hold out half as long when I bet Kimishita 1000 yen that he couldn’t go for three days without fighting with Shiba, and back then he had money to motivate him!”

Satou looked positively exhausted. “Are you sure nobody kidnapped and replaced them? Who are these people?”

“W-Well...” Tsukamoto tried to smile, visibly searching for a good side to this completely bizarre turn of events. “A-At least their teamwork is perfect now! Right?”

Mizuki nodded and gave a thumbs-up. “They finally accepted each other.”

“Yeah, no,” Hayase sighed, “that’s one way to put it...”

Kazama smirked. “Captain, they’re gay.”

“So they’re a couple?”

“...n...not really... we think...”

Mizuki looked more puzzled as ever. The others sighed.

At long last Tsukamoto spoke up, his face lighting up with an idea. “What about Kakeru-kun?” he said. “Do you think he knows anything?”

Most of the others looked skeptical, but Kazama rushed over and tackled him with a hug, ruffling his hair. “Tsukushi, that’s genius as always!” he said. “I bet he does, let’s ask him!”

Usui nodded and smiled. “It’s worth a try. He  _is_  Kimishita’s brother, after all.”

Tsukamoto went to search for his phone, but Kazama was faster, whipping out his own and dialing in Kakeru’s number. “Speaker! Speaker!” the others mouthed as he waited for the connection to build up. “Put it on speaker!”

There was a click, and then Kakeru’s voice came from the phone’s speakers, bright and clear and surprised. “Um... Hello?”

“Hi, Kakeru!” Kazama chimed, cheerful as ever. “Long time no see! How you been doing?”

The others groaned silently at the small talk.

“Huh? Oh, w-well, fine, I guess... um...” Kakeru paused. “Is there a special reason why you suddenly called, Kazama-san? Did something happen?”

“Nah, not really. Well...” Kazama grinned sheepishly. “Actually, that’s kinda what we wanna know. Any news from Kimishita-kun and Kiichiman since the date? They’ve been acting weird, do you have any clue why?”

“Weird?” Kakeru repeated, just as all of the Seiseki team moved closer to the phone, listening intently. “That doesn’t sound good... I assure you it’s only at school, because at the shop they’ve been getting along very well, Kazama-san!”

Kazama tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Yeah, no... that’s kinda the problem. They’ve been getting along  _too_  well, I mean, they just stopped arguing all week and it’s just been a date! We’re all creeped out, just what’s been going on there?”

“Huh? You don’t know?” Kakeru’s voice sounded surprised, almost casual. “After Kiichi-san accompanied my brother home after the date, they kissed.”

Total silence.

“ _Huh?!_ ”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. They  _what_  now?”

“These two? Are you serious?”

“No way, no way, no way!”

“I can’t believe they actually manned up and kissed! I thought I’d never see it!”

“Who kissed who first? Did you see it? Did ya?”

“Gaaaaah! I can’t believe all the interesting stuff happened after we  _lost_  them!”

“U-Um...” Kakeru’s voice stuttered from the speaker. “Um...”

Everyone went quiet again, their faces still frozen in varying degrees of shock and frustration. Usui smiled politely. “So,” he asked, “do you know if they’re dating now?”

A small pause. “I’m... afraid not,” Kakeru said, and everyone’s faces fell. “Big brother hasn’t mentioned anything, and Kiichi-san hasn’t either. And knowing him, Kiichi-san would probably have told me if they were, but...” He sounded unsure. “I hope they will soon! It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?”

Usui’s smile widened. “Probably.”

“Hopefully,” Tsukamoto added.

“I certainly hope so too! Ah, but um...” Now Kakeru’s voice was embarrassed, and they could almost picture him adjusting his glasses with his free hand again. “Please don’t tell them I told you about the kiss! They don’t even know I saw them at all...”

“Okay, okay.” Kazama winked at the phone. “We gotcha.”

\---

Ooshiba waved after Kimishita as he walked into his house, turned around, and started heading home, smiling like an idiot.

Ever since last Sunday, life had been good. Ever since that day he had been on cloud nine, and he had no plans of coming back down anytime soon. He was way too happy floating up there and feeling better than he had ever felt in his life.

Everyone had been right, and for once he didn’t care to have been proven wrong. He really was in love with that guy. He still couldn’t believe Kimishita had kissed him, actually  _kissed_  him, right on the mouth, and he couldn’t believe that it had happened not only once but several times, several times since that evening and one as wonderful as the other. That could only mean one thing. Kimishita was in love with him. Kimishita, aloof, arrogant, smart, grumpy Kimishita who never approved of anything he did, was in love with him and Ooshiba had never felt greater about himself in his whole life.

This past week had been incredible. They had never gone so long without fighting, but this was so much more than just not fighting. This was a level of understanding they’d never shown before, an ability to connect without words and just know what the other was thinking, without getting annoyed or lying about their feelings like they usually did. This was sitting and standing close together and basking in each other’s silent presence. This was looking at each other and starting to grin for a reason only they understood. This was leaning their foreheads together for no reason except that they could, the feeling of Kimishita’s slim but strong hands holding his own and Kimishita’s warm lips brushing against his and his head resting on his shoulder and their heartbeats mingling as they stayed close together, simply enjoying that the other was there.

Ooshiba hoped this never changed, ever.

He just wished they’d go out a bit more. Maybe he should surprise Kimishita tomorrow and take him somewhere, just for fun. Weekends existed for a reason, after all.

Smiling, Ooshiba opened the door, kicked off his shoes, walked up to his room, and flopped down on the bed, grabbing and hugging his pillow with a gigantic smile on his face.

\---

Kakeru had been fidgety all afternoon, almost as if he was waiting for something, or trying to work up the courage to spit out something that had been bothering him for a while. At first Kimishita had brushed it off, but by now it was seriously starting to bother him; Kakeru hadn’t looked this nervous since his last interaction with fellow middle schoolers, and if he was like this again it could only mean that something was extremely, terribly wrong.

“Hey, kid,” he said at last, putting down the magazine he’d been looking through. “You’re acting strange today. Has something happened?”

Kakeru jolted, paling and almost dropping his glasses. “U-U-Um...” he stuttered, his eyes darting about in panic. “W-Well, no, about that–”

“ _What?_ ” Kimishita snapped, impatient and concerned. “Quit stuttering around and tell me! What is it? Do you need help or what?”

“N-N-No!” Kakeru yelped, and Kimishita relaxed a tiny bit. “I-It’s just, I’ve been wondering... after the date... how– no... what–”

Kimishita drummed his fingers impatiently, glaring at him as his heart skipped a beat. The date... Right, he had never talked about it, and strangely Kakeru had never bothered to ask up till now.

“I just... Has anything... happened... between you and Kiichi-san?”

Kimishita’s face heated up. Happened... A lot had  _happened_. Kissing happened. Hand-holding happened. Sharing smiles and lunches happened. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to tell anyone about that yet, not even his younger brother.

“Depends,” he grumbled evasively. “What do you mean?”

“L-Like... well... did you start... dating?”

Kimishita jolted. His face felt hotter than ever. “Wha–” he burst out, glaring defensively. “How did you– What gave you that idea?”

“I don’t know!” Kakeru shouted, his face turning pink too. “It was just... I s– I guessed– no, I w-was hoping...” His voice trailed off. “Never mind. People don’t become couples after one date... right? Sorry, it was a stupid thought...”

Kimishita sighed quietly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something Kakeru wasn’t telling him.

“I don’t care about dating,” he said, even as something protested in his heart. “We’re getting along better though. Guess I owe you for that.”

Kakeru smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Neither of them said anything, and at last Kimishita picked his magazine back up, waiting for customers.

But Kakeru still didn’t look happy, and he, too, couldn’t quite focus on the magazine anymore. Again and again his thoughts strayed back to Kakeru’s question.

What were he and Kiichi now, exactly?

And worries about ruining it aside, wouldn’t it be better to ask him about it and have clarity?

\---

_Huh,_  came Yuzu’s reply, lighting up on the screen.  _So thats the thibg is it?_

Kakeru smiled a little.  _Yes,_  he wrote back.  _I can’t tell them I saw them kissing, but without it I don’t know how to explain why I asked if they were dating, I mean, I did set them up on the date but you don’t usually assume people become a couple after the first date, right? So it’s weird if I ask them without telling why I think they might be, I mean, there is their change in behavior but their teammates saw it too and were still surprised when I told them they kissed... But I need to ask them properly! Because I think they are avoiding the topic and they need to address it, so... ah, so sorry, I’m rambling again! m(_  _)m_

The message was marked as read immediately, and Yuzu started typing at once. Her reply was much shorter than Kakeru’s.  _Why not tell them you saw em? o:_

Kakeru almost dropped his phone.  _WHAT? But, but, but...!!_

_I mean,_  Yuzu continued,  _its not like u were spying on htem right? You just saw so ur curious ;)_

Kakeru paused. She did have a point.  _But..._

_Trust me, its the best! You can do it, Kakeru-kun! d(≧∇≦)b_

Kakeru smiled at the goofy emoji, imagining Yuzu doing that very pose as she encouraged him to go out and ask them honestly. Maybe if she had his back, he might actually be able to pull it off.

He was glad to have Yuzu at his side. It was good to have a friend he could entrust all this to, someone who listened to him and encouraged him at all times.

It made him want to share everything that had been bothering him lately. Even the question he had never spoken out to anyone before.

_Thank you so much, Yuzu-chan!_  I’m forever in your debt! he typed into the screen.  _But actually, there is one more thing..._

He took a deep breath and told her everything about his mother’s encounter with his brother and her concern about who should be a total stranger.

_I think she recognized him,_  he added.  _That would be wonderful, but I’m also worried... If she still cares about him, then maybe she never wanted to leave him at all? Why did she leave him and his father? What if she never wanted to leave and my brother and his father are the family she truly wants to be with? I know she hasn’t seen them in many years, but if she worried about my brother, what if she still misses them? What should I do?_

He swallowed and hit Send, ready to stuff his phone under the pillow and dread Yuzu’s reply when a new message already flashed up on the screen.  _Just ask her lol_

Kakeru gaped at the screen.  _What do you mean...?_

_I mean theres no other way of finding out, right? Just ask your mom about it... Or if you don’t wanna then why not ask his dad? I bet he can tell you why they separated!_

_Its alwyas best to talk about things, Kakeru-kun ^_^_

Always best to talk about things, huh. Easier said than done... but Yuzu might be right. Thinking about it wouldn’t help him understand anything better. He’d have a lot of explaining to do, to his brother and Kiichi-san and his brother’s father and his mother, but it was probably better than breaking his mind about questions that no amount of copious thinking could answer.

It would just take him a huge lot of courage.

_Thank you very much, Yuzu-chan! I’ll do my very best!_

Yuzu’s reply was a single emoji.  _（‐＾▽＾‐）_

\---

“Oh, Atsushi, you’re awake?” Kimishita’s father poked his head through the door. “I think there’s somebody downstairs to see you.”

Probably either Kakeru or Kiichi, Kimishita thought as he yawned, pulled his shirt over his ears and looked at the clock. At this time of the day, probably not Kiichi.

“Tell him I’ll be there,” he grumbled, shaking out his hair, pulling on a pair of socks and padding across the apartment and down the stairs. Damn it, he wasn’t made for human interaction before breakfast. He was starving, for crying out loud.

Kakeru was waiting downstairs, in casual clothes for once, or rather not in uniform but in an outfit that might as well have passed as a school uniform. “Morning,” Kimishita grumbled, walking over to him. “What do you want? It’s early.”

Apparently he was still wearing his pre-coffee death glare, because Kakeru shrank a little. “Oh, sorry, am I too early? It’s just, I really wanted to talk to you so I got impatient and, well... M-May I come in?”

“Atsushi!” his father called down from upstairs. “Tell your guest he’s welcome to join us for breakfast if he’s hungry!”

“There you have it,” Kimishita muttered, turning to walk back upstairs and hoping Kakeru wouldn’t get too talkative before the damn coffee was ready. To hell with his old man’s sociable nature. He wasn’t ready to act like a person just yet.

Kakeru followed him upstairs, wide-eyed and amazed as he looked around. Oh right. He’d never actually been up here, had he?

“Sorry for intruding!” Kakeru shouted as he stepped into the apartment, bowing. “Thanks for having me, Kimishita-san!”

“There, there.” His father laughed. “Don’t sweat it, the more the merrier! Take a seat.” He motioned to the table. “What brought you here so early in the morning?”

“W-Well...” Kakeru adjusted his glasses. “I wanted to speak to you both... about different things... But first, I have to apologize!”

They both blinked and turned as he jumped back up from his chair, bowing low.

“Big brother!” he shouted, and Kimishita flinched. “I’m very sorry I saw you and Kiichi-san after the date last week! I only meant to visit you and ask if it had gone well, I promise!”

Kimishita went dark red, unable to utter a word.

“Date?” his father asked, raising an eyebrow.

“ _That’s_  what you’re surprised about?” Kimishita hissed back.

“And Kimishita-san!” Kakeru continued. “I’m sorry I never told you I was your son’s half-brother!”

His father looked at him for a moment, then he started laughing.

“Oh, please,” he said, walking over and ruffling Kakeru’s hair. “I guessed the moment you walked in here. And then you said the name Ninomiya and I knew.”

Kimishita stared back and forth between them, trying and failing to think of anything to say.

“So, um...” Kakeru fiddled with his glasses. “W-Would you mind... telling me what, um... why...?”

His father smiled a little sadly, walking back to the stove as the coffee started boiling. “It’s pretty simple, actually,” he said. “We were star-crossed lovers. She grew up in a noble family and was expected to marry someone from the higher class. Then she met me and we fell in love, but it only went well for so long before her family found out and made her choose between them and us. She had a big, loving family and couldn’t lose them no matter what so she ended up leaving us... and then she met your father and married him.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, Kakeru. She loved us, but now she loves you. She’s happy with you all. Isn’t she?”

“Well, yes...”

“That’s good to hear! I’d tell her to send her my regards, but that’s probably a bad idea now.” A shadow flitted over his eyes again. “But I’m glad she’s doing fine.”

Kakeru smiled with relief. “I’m sorry she left you,” he said gently. “But... I’m glad to hear that.”

Kimishita didn’t say anything. His throat felt strangely tight. His mother... So he hadn’t simply abandoned them and thrown herself at someone else. He was glad. He was glad she was, in some way, a good person.

“And me?” he rasped out at last, clearing his throat. “What did you come to ask me about?”

“Oh, about that–”

Kakeru was interrupted by a ring of the doorbell.

Clicking his tongue, Kimishita turned and hurried to open the door to find himself face to face with Kiichi, who was dressed up again, a colorful bouquet of flowers badly hidden behind his back.

“You,” Kimishita said, unsure if he was happy or annoyed to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey!” Kiichi snapped, pulling out the flowers and shoving them into Kimishita’s face. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? Let’s go on a date!”

Kimishita stared at the flowers and then at Kiichi. Behind him he could hear the footsteps of his family approaching. His face flushed. “A... date...?!”

“Yup.” Kiichi nodded assuredly. “I mean, today we’ve been dating for a week.”

Kimishita’s mind went blank.

“Wait,” he stuttered out. “What the– What the– You thought we were  _dating?_ ”

Kiichi gaped at him. “We’re not?”

“Never mind that, when were you planning to  _tell_  me, idiot? Don’t go deciding things on your own again!”

“Say what? You’re the one who kissed me, asshole!”

“Shut up! That didn’t mean I asked you out, idiot!” Oh great, his father and Kakeru could hear every goddamn word. Kimishita wanted to die a million deaths.

“Oh yeah?” If Kiichi had noticed their presence, he didn’t seem to care. “Fine! Gimme my flowers back, asshole! I want my flowers back!”

“Forget it–”

“Wait a second.”

Kimishita flinched, slowly turning around to look at his father’s cheerfully grinning face.

“Atsushi,” he said, and Kimishita knew he was screwed. “When were you planning to tell me you had a boyfriend?”

“I’m telling you, he’s not my–”

“But you fit so well together!” Kakeru’s face was all red, his eyes wide and shining. “All week you’ve been acting just like a couple, and you look so happy together! And Kiichi-san has liked you from the very beginning... and you love him too! Don’t you, big brother?”

Everyone stared at Kimishita. He wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground and never come back out again.

Of course he did. That wasn’t even a question.

_Damn it, Kakeru._

“I guess,” he grumbled, not looking at anyone in particular. “Happy now?”

His father grinned, and his brother cheered. Kiichi looked very flushed, flushed and nervous and insecure.

“So...” he stuttered, running a hand through his hair. “What, uh... What are we?”

Kimishita looked at him. He looked at Kakeru, and his father, and back at Kiichi. He thought of all the times they had teamed up together, helped Kakeru out, taken care of him or comforted him or carried him around while he was sleeping. He thought of the sense of calm and safety he always felt around Kiichi lately, with or without a Kakeru to look after.

And suddenly he knew the exact word for this kind of feeling.

“It’s simple,” he said, smiling and reaching for Kiichi’s hand.

“We’re family.”


End file.
